Apollinis et Dianae: A Story of Power, Magnificence and Glory
- Thread starter Emperor Constantine
- Start date
O key dokey then, glad to see the thread's not dead and that your responding, I await new updates. And if I didn't say it earlier "Great TL."
The updates are difficult thing, Constantine works on 30 years war TL project, and I, after failed Tale of Three Princesses (where the Dutch butterflies proven too much to bear past initial research) began The High Flying Mazarinettes project (PoD in 1654, can be taken as sorta Stuart-wank as well with no disaster of 1660 in Stuart family)).
That's interesting, I'll check out your "the high flying mazarinettes." In truth despite being an American I'm kind of a monarchist so when I found this sight I sorta became addicted. If you see this and don't mind, could you give me some recommendations on good TL. Good ones have been hard to find lately.
An official statement and a question to our readers.
First one is a statement, that this TL would go into hibernation for a year at least, as Emperor Constantine moved on 30 Years War TL project (and I'll be helping with Eastern Europe side of things there, so the writing partnership will continue on), and I am working on... ASOIAF fanfiction on fai.org.ru (Rupert of the Rhine mental ISOT into young Viserys Targarien circa 290 AC; so far I'm not intending to translate the thing into English, since I'm afraid that my fiction writer skills in my non-native language are not polished enough; the link is provided for those who dares to feed the thing to Google Translate), so we're busy elsewhere.
However, there is a couple of things that remained "in the air" here for which I'd like to ask our readers. In the course of the TL we did little research on American colonies' situation in the period (more or less), so, regarding this, as well as any engineering projects in Ireland, we'd like to hear the feedback from the readers. What things would you like to see and how would you like to see them if we ever have time for interlude to cover British possessions that are not Great Britain in the period of 1660ies-1690ies? Links to sources, ideas and articles are more than welcome.
First one is a statement, that this TL would go into hibernation for a year at least, as Emperor Constantine moved on 30 Years War TL project (and I'll be helping with Eastern Europe side of things there, so the writing partnership will continue on), and I am working on... ASOIAF fanfiction on fai.org.ru (Rupert of the Rhine mental ISOT into young Viserys Targarien circa 290 AC; so far I'm not intending to translate the thing into English, since I'm afraid that my fiction writer skills in my non-native language are not polished enough; the link is provided for those who dares to feed the thing to Google Translate), so we're busy elsewhere.
However, there is a couple of things that remained "in the air" here for which I'd like to ask our readers. In the course of the TL we did little research on American colonies' situation in the period (more or less), so, regarding this, as well as any engineering projects in Ireland, we'd like to hear the feedback from the readers. What things would you like to see and how would you like to see them if we ever have time for interlude to cover British possessions that are not Great Britain in the period of 1660ies-1690ies? Links to sources, ideas and articles are more than welcome.
Since this is going to hiatus, I'm going to spoil some ideas I've had regarding this, though some of them were not run past Constantine, and some exist just on paper.
Some stuff I've planned for British Royal Family:
Regarding Russia the plans were like this:
Some stuff I've planned for British Royal Family:
- Duke of Northumberland, a bastard half-brother of the King, to be one of the Royal/highborn casulalties of the "final assault" phase of the Great Crusade, which was a cliffhanger we kinda sorta ended the TL on. After this, young Philip-Leopold Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, claims his cousin's title by the rights of his Percy wife... and gets it in imitation of what happened to his cousin across the water, Duc de Chartres, who became Duc de Montpensier jure uxoris, and then ceased the Chartres title back to be given to his nephew, only this time Duke of Gloucester turns into Duke of Northumberland, and Gloucester title gets back to the Crown to be used for any possible younger son of Charles III (so that future Dukes of Northumberland still have Percy blood in them, and so that there is less need to invent new Royal dukedoms from scratch)
- Sophia of Cumberland, not aware of the Mary Tudor affair and fearing of Eastern marriage that would cause her to change the religion (not unlike her aunt Elisabeth did when she turned away a suit by Wladyslaw IV of Poland), takes after her another aunt, Louise (or maybe her uncle Edward?) and elopes with her first cousin, Friedrich August of Hanover (planned Maximilian of Hanover first, but thinking about it and reading sources, Friedrich works better). While the match causes a scandal (and would be considered one of the causes of Rupert of the Rhine's death in 1690, which is hard to call untimely, even thought he's healthier TTL than he was OTL (no leg injury from botched surgery, and less severe head injury in 1665 - just severe enough to get ashore for first half of 1666 and do not lead expedition to Guinea, but not so severe as to require two trepannings in a row, unlike OTL, where the need for head surgery SEVERELY impacted his performance in second half of the Second Anglo-Dutch War)), the couple would be pardoned, and would eventually act as viceroys at Simmern-Kaiserslautern in between sojourning at British court. Note: While there was disagreement whether Simmern or Kaiserslautern should be the County's capital, it turned out to be Kaiserslautern
As Simmern, while it was the de-jure capital of old appanage, was the thing that Karl Ludwig could not part with (it being the source of family name of the branch), unlike Kaiserslautern and Kreuznach, which were negotiable under some circumstances (such as those that happended TTL).
- Her elder sister, Elisabeth Amelia, was tenatively planned as the bride for Johann George IV of Saxony, to give Saxony both British and Palatine contacts.
Regarding Russia the plans were like this:
- Peter and Mary/Maria have twin children in 1692 - Alexander and Natalya, followed by Alexei in 1694 and Margarita in 1696, with some more being a possibility. The name Alexander and not Alexei for the firstborn has several reasons: 1) It is the name that exists both in Russia and Scotland; 2) TTL Peter is a fanboy of Alexander the Great; 3) Alexander of Imeriti, like the Duke of Northumberland, is planned to be among the "crusading casualties" (and the Royal House of Imeriti would likely be restored with regency for Alexander's little son Vakhtang), so the name of Peter's first son is a way to commemorate a dead friend and comrade since school years;
- Tsarevich Simeon perishes in a riding accident circa 1695, which also is an indirect cause of death of his father, as grief causes the rapidly falling health. The death would be preceded by the major diplomatic coup on part of Russians, securing for Simeon the hand of a legit Danish princess - Elisabeth Charlotte of Denmark, the only daughter of Prince Jorgen of Denmark and his de La Tremoille wife. The betrothal would be transferred to Alexander of Tver, as he moves in the succession line along with his father.
- Petrine line rules since 1696, beginning with Peter. While Peter I TTL would be involved in this TL version of the Great Northern War (along with pretty much half a Europe, as this would be THE European powder keg of 1700ies) and the aftermath of the Great Crusade, TTL Alexander I would, despite being married to a Danish princess, look a bit more East, being more busy with Persian and Chinese affairs, with the beginning of the Great Proxy War in the Central Asia.
- The Polish Succession War of TTL, would, like OTL, be in 1730ies, and would be interesting (Constantine wanted the survival of Silesian Piasts, them getting intermarried with the Sobieskis and then take the throne). A son of Alexander I of Russia (called Michael, future Michael II) would, as part of Russia supporting some side of this conflict, be betrothed and then married to a Moldavian princess, granddaughter of Alexander Sobieski and Tsarevna Maria Feodorovna, daugher of Maria Cantemir (who would be married to Alexander Sobieski's eldest son, Ioan (Moldavian version of Jan, obviously named after grandfather)). This princess, named tentatively Anna Ioannovna (for historical in-joke), would not only bring the blood of Feodor III back onto Russian throne, but act as eventual Catherine the Great expy, as Michael II would combine the worst parts of OTL Peter II and Peter III, being fairly ineffectual ruler, concerned more with hunting and partying, than with affairs of state, while his future Tsarina takes a lot after great-aunt/step-greatgrandma Sophia.
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Also from my notes regarding Russia:
- The Curse of Abbacum will still continue in Petrine line, formalized in official recordings of the legend as "no person born heir apparent to the Russian throne would ever rule Russia". Peter I and Alexander I were not heirs apparent to Russia when they were born; Michael II is planned to have an elder brother, named tentatively Peter, who would be betrothed to some European princess, but die young of either hunting accident or something like appendicitis; by this time the Moldavian cousin match for his younger brother is already formalized, being easier to negotiate (given that Peter I is married to a daughter of King of Britain, though a bastard one, and Alexander I is married to a niece of King of Denmark, there would be a high-aiming match for presumable Peter II - so far undecided to whom, but this is not that important to plot). Since Michael is already betrothed when Peter Jr. dies, no situation like OTL Alexander III marriage occurs. For Michael and Anna the situation would be not so dramatic, as for them the curse would "just" mean a premature first male child, like some Curse of Braganza cases.
- Said "Tsarevich Peter" would become an inspiration for TTL version of Pugachyov rebellion.
- Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich would also be a tragic figure TTL, but in different circumstances than OTL, given that he is, unlike his OTL namesake, a second son and not a heir. In this TL there would be a "forbidden love" scenario with incestous feelings towards his Quasim first cousin (first cousin marriages are banned in Orthodox church), and when the consent for the match is not given, Alexei becomes the first (and for century the only) Russian Royal house member to join the Templars.
Cossack pirates plundering the Crimean coast & taking some prizes - the picture that was omitted from the original chapter due to the threat of it being image-saturated, but was in the notes
Hello hotstuffA treat to our nostalgic fans - a Photosphopped portrait of TTL Charles III of Great Britain. Now the authentical in-character one instead of the anachronistic Dane we used in Chapter XXX.
