Alternate Capital Cities

Cardiff was only declared the capital of Wales in 1955 (some sources say 1953). Before that date Wales didn't actually have a capital (because, as some reference books used to say, 'for Wales see England'). Although Cardiff was always the prime candidate as the city with the largest population, there were other possibilities. I've always liked the idea of Machynlleth as the Welsh capital. It's close to the centre of the country, it has historical resonance (Owain Glyndwr held his first parliament here), but most of all I like it for the difficulty everyone outsidr Wales would have in pronouncing the name :p

And one not so much moving a capital as changing its name. It's confusing to have the country, the local state and the capital city all called Mexico. Perhaps an ultra-nationalist government changes the name of the capital back to the old Nahuatl name of Tenochtitlan?
 
The post 1900 alternative is to change Chinese history so that Beijing gets destroyed so thoroughly that instead of rebuilding it, the new government that unifies China decides to make the most obvious alternative, Nanjing, the capitol. Or add extra crazy to the cultural revolution and they go with a planned capitol built from scratch, though sometime after Mao's death this probably would have been abandoned.
Or just have the Nationalists stay in power, as Nanjing was their capital of choice.
 
An interesting concept would be keeping Egypt's capital at Alexandria somehow instead of Cairo. This could involve a number of PoDs like the British forcing the capital to move so that it was easier to access.

A Philippines that had its capital kept at Iloilo or Cebu City during the Spanish era would be interesting.

Thailand's capital might have kept at Ayutthaya had the Burmese not burned down the city in 1765.
 
Remember, Post-Ottoman Greece didn't start with all of its current territory, they only got Thessalonike on 1912! So you can't really choose it as a capital at independence.

An alternate form of Greek independence—say, an 18th century Russo-Austrian invasion of the Ottoman Empire—could potentially see Constantinople become the Capital.

Then again, this state would likely not be called “Greece”...

Either way, though, Smyrna is a bad choice of a capital: it’s incredibly vulnerable to invasion from the Anatolian interior and isolated away from most of Greece.
 
Smyrna would make more sense as the capital of Greece. It was an actual large city at the time. Or alternatively Thessalonica.

Here's some ideas for potential capitals outside the current OTL borders:

Greece - Constantinopolis
Slovenia - Graz or Trieste
Macedonia - Salonica
Armenia - Kars or Van
The Netherlands - Brussels
Jordan - Jerusalem
Luxembourg - Aachen or Prague
Monaco - Nizza
The Holy See - The Basilica of St. John at the Lateran
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Seoul
The Republic of China - Nanjing :biggrin:

Also almost happened to Lithuania, but they got Vilnius back with the help of the Soviets.
 
Uitenhage for the capital of South Africa. And before anyone asks me where the Hell is that? It's a little town (~100,000 inhabitants) about 35km from Port Elizabeth. It was actually considered in the 1910s/30s/after independence, all for different reasons. In the 1910s it was because it was closer to the recently reconquered "Afrikaaner" republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal than Cape Town. ICR the reasons for the 30s (although it may have been the same as for the 1910s). After independence it was considered as a "neutral" option - in an area that was neither intensively historically British (after 1820 the British got here, yes), nor Dutch (it was part of the division of the Dutch Cape Colony referred to as the "Republiek van Graaff Reinet"). Sadly, the idea never took off, but there are still parts in the town - particularly around main street - where they started making expansions/extensions for a move that never took place.
 
- The US could potentially have chosen an existing city in Maryland such as Baltimore as its capital instead of building DC.

Havre de Grace, Maryland was almost the US capital and was easily raided by British naval forces during the War of 1812. A coastal city as capital would be a really bad idea for early America.
 
Along with New York and Philadelphia some of the various cities, the Continental Congress worked in during the war as well as the Confederation Congress could work as the capital. Baltimore, Princeton, and Trenton stand out to me as especially interesting. Baltimore because it would furfill the same compromise that caused the creation of DC. Princeton and Trenton work because frankly it'd give New Jersey something to be proud about.

And, in the case of New York, having the government facilities be built where Brooklyn would be since during the earlier years of America the area was a few small towns rather than an urbanized landscape.
 
And, in the case of New York, having the government facilities be built where Brooklyn would be since during the earlier years of America the area was a few small towns rather than an urbanized landscape
Wouldn't you run into the problem that long island is only accessible by boat at this time.
 
Wouldn't you run into the problem that long island is only accessible by boat at this time.

Then they could still use facilities in New York City until they're able to build a proper bridge to Long Island.

What do you think of the capital being in Baltimore, Princeton, or Trenton?
 
And one not so much moving a capital as changing its name. It's confusing to have the country, the local state and the capital city all called Mexico. Perhaps an ultra-nationalist government changes the name of the capital back to the old Nahuatl name of Tenochtitlan?

I alwas thought it was the state name that changed from New Spain to Mexico - that it was the Audiencia of New Spain that split up into both modern Mexico State and others.

Mexico City was always the first Spanish-named Mexico, that much I know for sure, and the others followed.
 
What do you think of the capital being in Baltimore, Princeton, or Trenton?
If America still wants to create a capital district then it would depended on the states. However if they just occupy the citys and they stay a part of the states i don't really see a problem outside of where New Jersey would put their capital if Trenton was choosen.
 
If America still wants to create a capital district then it would depended on the states. However if they just occupy the citys and they stay a part of the states i don't really see a problem outside of where New Jersey would put their capital if Trenton was choosen.

If Trenton is chosen any of the historic capitals of New Jersey could be chosen as the capital. Elizabeth, Perth Amboy, and Burlington all served as capitals at one point or another.

Of course, that's assuming Trenton is chosen instead of Princeton.
 
I alwas thought it was the state name that changed from New Spain to Mexico - that it was the Audiencia of New Spain that split up into both modern Mexico State and others.

Mexico City was always the first Spanish-named Mexico, that much I know for sure, and the others followed.

You're right, of course. The Spanish were calling it Mexico City long before New Spain became the independant country of Mexico. I think in fact 'Mexico' originally referred to the area inhabited by the Mexica, so in a sense the state came first. Nevertheless I think it best to rename the city, so we can restore the old Aztec name of Tenochtitlan.
 
A weaker Russian performance in WWI combined with a much more successful British performance could have made Erzurum the capital of the late Ottoman Empire/Turkey.
 
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