So simply go back to the old map and past the unclaimed areas over the "updated" one? That's a lot of territory to leave unexplored- and I know Upper Canada isn't exactly the rich lands of the East Coast but you'd think that the colonies over there have some vestitude of "This land is ours" type behavior.
ATL Dark ages map
- Thread starter Hermanubis
- Start date
G.Bone said:
No, IMO the last map you made shows the overall situation pretty accurately. If anything the areas in Upper Canada could be technically considered "in flux", since no organized group larger than a tribe of natives claims any significant portion of them. Technically, I would imagine that these lands would be claimed by Vinnland, but its inability to project any kind of control makes it a rather moot point, and the Khazar claim on OTL Oregon and Washington is also a mere technicality - not enough to go to war over in normal times, but a good pretext should there ever be a need for it.
The borders will, however, be significantly readjusted after the war, both in Europe and in the Americas...
So- let me just get the situation at hand for the "Great War"
A) Flying gliders of "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM"
B) Massive seige towers that are decked out with armor
C) Tank analogues that support the moving seige towers/machines
D) Infantry that come out and mop up whatever is left after A/B/C/D attacks
(Navy)
E) Ironclad ships (steam?)
F) Submarines
G) Artillery ships (steam?)
A) Flying gliders of "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM"
B) Massive seige towers that are decked out with armor
C) Tank analogues that support the moving seige towers/machines
D) Infantry that come out and mop up whatever is left after A/B/C/D attacks
(Navy)
E) Ironclad ships (steam?)
F) Submarines
G) Artillery ships (steam?)
G.Bone said:
As far as A), they are only somewhat prominent with the Mongols/China, and are being quickly replaced by airships that are lifted in the air with hydrogen, and are much heavier armoured and armed. Within a relatively short time these would be improved enough to where the airships become floating fortresses of the sky, and the idea of heavier-than-air aircraft as a viable (not obsolete) weapon is going to be laughed at.
B) are also on their way out, they are not sufficiently mobile, and make the limitations of steam power very apparent. Not to mention that they are expensive to build, take a lot of effort to maintain, and need a large crew, whereas a combination of tanquettes and conventional artillery is cheaper to build and operate, and is much more effective on the battlefield.
As such, the "tanks" (or, rather, "mechanized cavalry" would probably be a better description, as they are much closer to steam-powered "armored cars" with machine guns as the main armament, designed to sweep the ground with enemy infantry) are more of one half of a replacement for "siege tower" mechs, the other half being conventional cannons and artillery. In fact, some armoured cars would end up being outfitted with cannons, and specifically designed to counter the enemy "tanquettes" and to assault heavily fortified positions, but there would be no "all-purpose" tank as of just yet.
As for the true "mechs" (as in Mechwarrior series), those still have some way before coming along, until the internal combustion engine is created and perfected, but at that point, the doctrine of creating a "be-all, end-all" weapon will result in the "mech" concept being reintroduced.
The infantry is, of course, used mainly because it is cheap, plentiful, and expendable. Due to more powerful weapons available that the infantry has little counter for at the time, the numbers of infantry are less prominent than in the past, and are edging ever closer to the concept of trench warfare, especially after the invention of first machine guns.
The navy would generally have ironclad cruisers and destroyers, with "artillery ships" being basically floating gun platforms, extremely powerful for shore bombardment, but also extremely vulnerable to attacks by smaller vessels, and thus always needing escorts. The submarines are a jealously guarded Vandal technological secret, and thus are only in their possession - but the other nations, most notably the Venetians and the Chinese, are trying to duplicate the designs with varying degrees of success. By the end of the Great War, all major combatants will have if not a fleet of several submarines, then at least the means to build them.
The Great War is going to be simply another major push towards developing more and more advanced technology to get this world towards what I have in mind for it
- which hopefully will be another major twist by the end, hopefully more so than the Venetian Romans and Jewish Turks. To say the least, this war is to be followed by many, many changes to the structure of this world...BTW, thank you for doing the maps for the TL, I really do appreciate it!
Your welcome BTW (my apologies if it's not along EdT's quality or the founder of this thread- who has seemingly vanished from the scene...)
Your TL just smacks of steampunk - not to be insulting or anything- but does have the fumes of steampunk stamped all over it. Was that intentional or....
It is a pity that the Maya Vandal's are quickly loosing the tech that gave them the edge to other countries. I mean- I'm all for the isolationist "I kick you in the rear and f*** your mother if you come near" theme but I was really saddened by them being....neutered by other folks. I don't know. I just guess that I'm really fond of a concentrated violence but not a violence that is insitutionalized as something to fuel an empire of sorts.
Your TL just smacks of steampunk - not to be insulting or anything- but does have the fumes of steampunk stamped all over it. Was that intentional or....
It is a pity that the Maya Vandal's are quickly loosing the tech that gave them the edge to other countries. I mean- I'm all for the isolationist "I kick you in the rear and f*** your mother if you come near" theme but I was really saddened by them being....neutered by other folks. I don't know. I just guess that I'm really fond of a concentrated violence but not a violence that is insitutionalized as something to fuel an empire of sorts.
G.Bone said:
Oh, I’m around…*
Nice update and map, BTW.
*(Twas a Lurker to begin with, and I was posting an awful lot; I think I’m a just little burnt out…)
G.Bone said:
Definitely intentional
- but not a "pure" steampunk in a sense of a word, since electricity is going to be implemented, and technological development is by no means stopped. Rather, I was thinking more along the lines of "alternate technological development", trying to think how an empire with major megalomania issues would have developed with much shorter Dark Ages.Their tech edge is not necessarily going to be lost - the other nations are going to have subs and such, but by that time the Maya Vandals are going to start fiddling with more advanced concepts, to where they are going to be at least half a step ahead... not to mention that in the aftermath of war, the isolationist attitude may return...
Let's just say that the aftermath of the Great War is going to have a lot of pissed off nations, and much more of the "concentrated" violence - the era of the great empires is slowly but surely going away.
Bells Of Ragnarok
Time for the things to come crashing down...
1016 - If one thing became apparent from the first few months of fighting, it was that the sides were very evenly matched. Several battles were fought on land between Byzantines and Venetians in Dalmatia, ravaging the lands for little to no gain. In the Far East, Khazars and China clashed with ferocity unrivaled before, going back and forth with their mechanized cavalry, mechs, and airships in the wastes of Mongolia. The Maya Vandals launched an all-out assault on Chinese California, which fell without much of a show of resistance, while Russian assaults into Germany and Gaul were repulsed by Venetians with huge losses. In a meanwhile, the Khazars fortify their positions in Caucasus to prepare for eventual Byzantine and Russian onslaught. The first use of "tanquettes" by the Venetians in Dalmatia is somewhat disappointing, as the local Byzantine general was able to use terrain to his advantage, and trap the "tanquettes" in a deep ravine where the Byzantine artillery did the trick - however, the Venetians lay blame on the commander, and still stand by their design.
1017 - An ambitious Venetian plan is put into action, nicknamed "Operation Emilius" after an ancient Roman conquerer of much of Greece. The plan calls for an all-out naval assault on Epirus, with the key city of Durazzo seen as the key to gaining a beachhead in Greece. It is a short sail from Venice through the Adriatic; however the Byzantine fleet was ready. Resulting was the great naval battle fought near Zara, in which nearly half of the entire Venetian battle fleet was sent to the bottom of the sea. The Byzantine losses were almost as severe, however, Emperor Basil's propaganda tended to overlook the fact, claiming it to be the greatest naval victory for the "true Romans" since Actium. Despite the victory, the Byzantines are unable to push on Venice, as patrols of Vandal submarines take their daily toll on them. In a meanwhile, the Egyptians and the Axumites clash over control of Suez Canal, with the Axumites finally gaining upper hand. In South Africa, Byzantine colonies fall quickly to the armies of Great Zimbabwe, however, in South America and Australia, the Byzantines are able to take over the Axumite possessions. In Venice, the disastrous abortive "Operation Emilius" results in the increasingly more frustrated Senate appointing the one Ludovic Sforza as a supreme commander - although Hadrian II keeps the throne. Sforza is the foremost general of Venice, and is considered to be one of the most innovative commanders, able and willing to use new weapons and tactics to the great advantage. The results are quick to show, as Sforza's employment of tanquettes and rearmament of infantry with weapons both suited to slaughter the enemy troops and to stand against mechanized threats pushed Russians out of Venetian territories in Europe, and took the war into what would have been OTL Lithuania and Poland.
1018 - By now, a relative stalemate has been reached. The primary areas of fighting are the Aegean sea, Dalmatia, Lithuania in Europe, the Pacific Ocean and Mongolia in Asia (where in the former the Vandal submarines crushed more than one Chinese attempt at invasion, and in the latter the Khazars had been pushed back into Siberia by Chinese counterattacks), with the Americas being relatively quiet. In a meanwhile, discontent with prolonged war grows in the urban centers of Europe, and it is only through draconian measures that Basil V is able to restore control in the Byzantine territory, while constant rebellions in North Africa and Iberia keep a significant portion of Venetian troops occupied. The Caliphate, long seen as a moribund and anachronistic entity, is nevertheless able to send enough raids into the Khazar territory to become a major nuisanse despite its technologically inferior armaments. Persia, despite trying to stay neutral, is concerned about the Axumites and the suddenly revived Caliphate, decides to throw their lot in with the Byzantines, giving them the right of military passage through their territory, but implying that the Persian troops would not fight in foreign campaigns, only to defend their homelands - thus not altering the overall balance of power that much. The Russians are able to sneak a fleet through to the English Channel, landing an unexpected small invasion force in Gaul. The invasion force does not do much damage, but the psychological effects on the Venetians are devastating. Calling for an all-out vengeance, the "Aetius Offensive", as it was dubbed in the halls of Venetian High Command (being a reference to Russians as the "new Huns", and naming the operation after a Roman general who defeated the Huns at Chalons), starts, intending to punish the Russians. The offensive has thousands of increasingly more powerful tanquettes, supplemented by giant airships and three hundred thousand infantry, roll into what would be OTL Ukraine, attempting to take out Kiev and thus Russians out of the war. Coordinated with the Khazar attack from the East, the Russians would have no choice but to surrender.
1019 - The "Aetius Offensive" begins; however, the Russians have a secret ace up their sleeve. The Russian airships, using Byzantine and Chinese designs, have been rebuilt to carry great amounts of cargo, including soldiers. Using Chinese experience, the Russians design the world's first parachutes, and drop thousands of crack commandos armed to the teeth in the Khazar rear near Azow. Hit where they least expect it, and under constant pounding from the Byzantine artillery monitor ships, the Khazars withdraw, taking many casualties. In the west, however, there is a different story to tell, as Venetians roll through Poland and northern Ukraine, and meet a large Russian force at Belaya Tserkov, about 100 kilometers south of Kiev. The most memorable thing about the battle of Belaya Tserkov is that much of it was fought in the air, where numerous Venetian and Russian airships clashed just as the Venetian tanquettes moved against the entrenched Russian guns. Despite a number of attempts to land paratroopers behind the Venetian lines, the Russians are unsuccessful, suffering thousands of casualties, yet taking many a Venetian with them. At the end, the Russians withdraw from a battlefield, bruised, but not completely broken, in order to regroup and organize their defences. Thus, the Venetians claimed victory at the Battle of Belaya Tserkov, solely due to having control of the battlefield. Yet, the subsequent events were to prove their perception of the events wrong. As the Venetians pushed towards Kiev, they dismayed to find the countryside destroyed, towns evacuated, and Kiev itself a ghost town, all of the government and most of the citizens evacuated to a secondary outpost of Moskva (Moscow). Thus, the Burning of Kiev, which was later the cause for much Russian propaganda, was hardly warranted. It was late October, and the Venetians attempted to set themselves up for the upcoming winter - however, the provisions were scarce, and even drops of food and supplies by the Venetian airships were not helping much. To make the matters worse, Crimea was still in Byzantine hands, and continuous raids of Byzantines from the south and Russians from the north ate away at the Venetian force. The Russians begun to employ a scorched earth tactic, avoiding battle with what they knew to be a potentially superior force, but trying to exhaust the Venetians to where the elements would become Russia's most powerful ally.
1020 - A Byzantine attack in North Africa takes Carthage from the Venetians, and pushes through Mauretania all the way to the Gibraltar. In a meanwhile, Byzantine agents are hard at work in Giovannia, fanning the flames of discontent with Venetian rule, where many of the local aristocrats and landowners are justifyably appalled at the ever-increasing taxes, and their lack of say in the Venetian government (made even worse by what they perceive as "freedoms" enjoyed by the people of same social class in Italy and Gaul). In a meanwhile, the Venetian army, reduced by the winter, lack of supplies, and Russian and Byzantine raids, is an easy prey for the major Russian counterattack. By then, advances in chemistry allowed for a primitive form of poison gas to be produced, and the Venetians are not hesitant to use whatever little they have - however, despite extreme casualties, the Russians surround the Venetian army near Kiev, and in the Battle of Kiev, thoroughly annihilate the Venetians. The Russian propaganda promises a "march to the sea" that will avenge the burning of Kiev and the Venetian use of poison gas, which they decree as criminal. The Khazar attack on the Russian heartland is just an unsuccessful as the Venetian one, especially since the Khazars do not possess the "tanquettes" in large enough numbers on the Western front, instead committing more of their resources to the battles in China where the Chinese are slowly encroaching in Siberia. Thus, the Russians, augmented by Byzantine reinforcements, roll over Poland and Lithuania, pushing the Venetians back as far as Germany. In a meanwhile, a major rebellion, partially sponsored by the Byzantines, rocks Gaul, with the local Franks loudly demanding independence. The Venetian position becomes increasingly more dire, although not hopeless yet. In the Pacific Ocean, the great Maya Vandal fleet meets the main Chinese force, and annihilates it; the Axumites finally break through the Egyptian defences and attack Cyprus, but are beated back by determined Byzantine defenders. The Chola and the Chinese send an expedition against Axumite-held Madagascar, failing to land the troops on an island, but causing much damage. The Axumites retaliate with a raid of their own against Ceylon, which is not any more successful. The land fighting continues in the Arabian peninsula where the Caliphate troops are finally able to turn the tide and to push the Axumites to the Red Sea. The previously neutral state of Rajputana, realizing its precarious position, joins the Byzantine alliance.
1021 - A naval Venetian expedition to retake North Africa succeeds in retaking Gibraltar and Mauretania. This gives new hope to the Venetian Empire, and plans are being made for the one operation that is expected to bring Byzantium to its knees once and for all - an assault on Constantinople itself! The Venetians attempt to refit their entire airship armada, and to make a two-pronged attack on the Byzantine capital, with the Venetian battleships bombarding the Walls of Theodosius as the airships reduce the Byzantine capital to ruins, and decimate its population by poison gas canisters which are by now mass-produced. The Byzantines, however, learn of the planned attack, and are prepared to meet the Venetians at sea and in the air. There are two battles fought, one naval at Chios in the Aegean, and another one almost entirely fought in the air, with forty Byzantine airships engaging the force of sixty Venetian ones in the skies above Adrianople. Despite the Venetian numerical superiority in the Battle of Adrianople, the Byzantines use a new, revolutionary concept of an airship carrier, with the largest airships sending waves of rocket gliders armed with incendiary rounds against the Venetians. The Venetian airforce is destroyed almost to a man, while the Byzantines lose "only" half of their initial airfleet. However at Chios, the Venetians are victorious, and decide to sail to the Sea of Marmara and attempt to reduce Constantinople by sea. They arrive to find Thrace completely mobilized, and the straits blocked by the remnant of the Byzantine navy, reinforced by hundreds of land guns. Venetian commanders order an attack, but in the battle of Marmara, the returning Byzantine airships prove to be the key factor that sends the Venetians home packing.
1022 - Despite disastrous assault on Constantinople, Venetians are still confident of their ability to win the war, bolstered by the Khazar and Vandal successes against the Chinese, and even an abortive Khazar invasion of Armenia that caused Byzantines much grief. In 1022, however, they are hit with three devastating events that significantly shift the balance of war. First, Vinnlanders, attempting to remove the Khazars from Alaska and American northwest, declare war, joining in the Treaty of Alexandretta. Vinnland succeeds spectacularly in taking the Khazar lands in North America, and even crossing into lightly defended Kamchatka, establishing a foothold there. Second, encouraged by the Byzantine agents, the Venetian colony of Giovannia revolts, and declares itself an independent republic. Tied up in Europe, the Venetians could only rely on the Vandals to fight the rebels, however, such move, seen as bringing a foreign oppressor to rein in the citizens, proves to be extremely unpopular in Giovannia, galvanizing much of its now rather extensive population to fight. Within a year, the Vandals are thrown out of Giovannia (which they did not make much fuss about, sending only a small force anyway), and Byzantium is the first to recognize Giovannian independence. Third, the Russian "march to the sea" breaks through Venetian defences around the Rhine. Combined with independence-seeking Franks, the Venetian armies are broken, pushed back to the Appennines and the Pyrennees, where they make a desperate stand. With Russian and Byzantine support, the state of Gaul is established as a protectorate kingdom, nominally independent, but practically a puppet of the two powers.
1023 - Seeing Byzantines and their allies gain an upper hand, Maya Vandalor swallows its scruples about dealing with the devil you know, and switches sides. The price - Chinese California. The Chinese are unhappy about this, but are promised Axumite Australian holdings, and as much of Khazar Siberia as they could grab, in addition to huge compensation. This proves to be the final straw for the Venetians, who are at last ready to meet at the negotiations table, knowing full well that the Byzantines and the Vandals together are only months away from launching a full-scale invasion of Italy just as the Russians are only barely held by the Appennine mountains and the desperate efforts of Venetian defenders. The peace terms are harsh, and include Venetian recognition of Gaulish and Giovannian independence, dismantling of much Venetian industry, indemnities to Byzantium and Russia, installment of an autocratic Emperor with the rank of a mere Caesar (as opposed to the Augustus rank of the Byzantine Emperor) who, of course, would be not much more than a Byzantine pawn, and dismantling of the Venetian Senate. In addition, the peace terms specifically state the superiority of the Byzantine Emperor to his Venetian counterpart. The Russians were to get the German and Frankish lands held by Venice outside of borders of roughly OTL France. Finally, most of the chief Venetian scientists were to be handed over to Byzantium. With little choice, the Venetians signed the document, entering into a separate peace. In the East and in Africa, seeing their main ally taken out of the war, the Axumites and the Khazars are quick to enter into peace agreements. As a result, China gets a large chunk of Siberia and the parts of Australia not previously under Byzantine control; Vinnland acquires all Khazar territories in the New World, plus Kamchatka. The Vandals get to keep their gains, although they are persuaded to pay a large indemnity to the Chinese. The Byzantine South Africa is regained from Zimbabwe, who got off relatively lightly, only having to surrender several border towns and to pay an indemnity. The Caliphate regains its long-lost Arabian territories from Axum, although does not get the territories under Egyptian control. Egypt gets few border towns from Axum, but not much else. The nation of Dalmatia as such ceases to exist, the entire region and most of the Dalmatian coast going to Byzantium, along with all of Venetian North Africa. The Caliphate also regains the parts of OTL Afghanistan that were under Khazar control, and obtains several smaller islands in the Pacific previously owned by Axum, thus resulting in it being seen as somewhat of a regional power again. The war cost insurmountable suffering and grief, and its economic cost would be a heavy burden upon both victors and losers for years to come; the war cost officially estimated fifteen million lives - with the real figure probably much higher. But for once, even if for a short while, there was peace.
Next installment (covering a greater, albeit somewhat less involved, time period) - tomorrow or even later on today.
Time for the things to come crashing down...
1016 - If one thing became apparent from the first few months of fighting, it was that the sides were very evenly matched. Several battles were fought on land between Byzantines and Venetians in Dalmatia, ravaging the lands for little to no gain. In the Far East, Khazars and China clashed with ferocity unrivaled before, going back and forth with their mechanized cavalry, mechs, and airships in the wastes of Mongolia. The Maya Vandals launched an all-out assault on Chinese California, which fell without much of a show of resistance, while Russian assaults into Germany and Gaul were repulsed by Venetians with huge losses. In a meanwhile, the Khazars fortify their positions in Caucasus to prepare for eventual Byzantine and Russian onslaught. The first use of "tanquettes" by the Venetians in Dalmatia is somewhat disappointing, as the local Byzantine general was able to use terrain to his advantage, and trap the "tanquettes" in a deep ravine where the Byzantine artillery did the trick - however, the Venetians lay blame on the commander, and still stand by their design.
1017 - An ambitious Venetian plan is put into action, nicknamed "Operation Emilius" after an ancient Roman conquerer of much of Greece. The plan calls for an all-out naval assault on Epirus, with the key city of Durazzo seen as the key to gaining a beachhead in Greece. It is a short sail from Venice through the Adriatic; however the Byzantine fleet was ready. Resulting was the great naval battle fought near Zara, in which nearly half of the entire Venetian battle fleet was sent to the bottom of the sea. The Byzantine losses were almost as severe, however, Emperor Basil's propaganda tended to overlook the fact, claiming it to be the greatest naval victory for the "true Romans" since Actium. Despite the victory, the Byzantines are unable to push on Venice, as patrols of Vandal submarines take their daily toll on them. In a meanwhile, the Egyptians and the Axumites clash over control of Suez Canal, with the Axumites finally gaining upper hand. In South Africa, Byzantine colonies fall quickly to the armies of Great Zimbabwe, however, in South America and Australia, the Byzantines are able to take over the Axumite possessions. In Venice, the disastrous abortive "Operation Emilius" results in the increasingly more frustrated Senate appointing the one Ludovic Sforza as a supreme commander - although Hadrian II keeps the throne. Sforza is the foremost general of Venice, and is considered to be one of the most innovative commanders, able and willing to use new weapons and tactics to the great advantage. The results are quick to show, as Sforza's employment of tanquettes and rearmament of infantry with weapons both suited to slaughter the enemy troops and to stand against mechanized threats pushed Russians out of Venetian territories in Europe, and took the war into what would have been OTL Lithuania and Poland.
1018 - By now, a relative stalemate has been reached. The primary areas of fighting are the Aegean sea, Dalmatia, Lithuania in Europe, the Pacific Ocean and Mongolia in Asia (where in the former the Vandal submarines crushed more than one Chinese attempt at invasion, and in the latter the Khazars had been pushed back into Siberia by Chinese counterattacks), with the Americas being relatively quiet. In a meanwhile, discontent with prolonged war grows in the urban centers of Europe, and it is only through draconian measures that Basil V is able to restore control in the Byzantine territory, while constant rebellions in North Africa and Iberia keep a significant portion of Venetian troops occupied. The Caliphate, long seen as a moribund and anachronistic entity, is nevertheless able to send enough raids into the Khazar territory to become a major nuisanse despite its technologically inferior armaments. Persia, despite trying to stay neutral, is concerned about the Axumites and the suddenly revived Caliphate, decides to throw their lot in with the Byzantines, giving them the right of military passage through their territory, but implying that the Persian troops would not fight in foreign campaigns, only to defend their homelands - thus not altering the overall balance of power that much. The Russians are able to sneak a fleet through to the English Channel, landing an unexpected small invasion force in Gaul. The invasion force does not do much damage, but the psychological effects on the Venetians are devastating. Calling for an all-out vengeance, the "Aetius Offensive", as it was dubbed in the halls of Venetian High Command (being a reference to Russians as the "new Huns", and naming the operation after a Roman general who defeated the Huns at Chalons), starts, intending to punish the Russians. The offensive has thousands of increasingly more powerful tanquettes, supplemented by giant airships and three hundred thousand infantry, roll into what would be OTL Ukraine, attempting to take out Kiev and thus Russians out of the war. Coordinated with the Khazar attack from the East, the Russians would have no choice but to surrender.
1019 - The "Aetius Offensive" begins; however, the Russians have a secret ace up their sleeve. The Russian airships, using Byzantine and Chinese designs, have been rebuilt to carry great amounts of cargo, including soldiers. Using Chinese experience, the Russians design the world's first parachutes, and drop thousands of crack commandos armed to the teeth in the Khazar rear near Azow. Hit where they least expect it, and under constant pounding from the Byzantine artillery monitor ships, the Khazars withdraw, taking many casualties. In the west, however, there is a different story to tell, as Venetians roll through Poland and northern Ukraine, and meet a large Russian force at Belaya Tserkov, about 100 kilometers south of Kiev. The most memorable thing about the battle of Belaya Tserkov is that much of it was fought in the air, where numerous Venetian and Russian airships clashed just as the Venetian tanquettes moved against the entrenched Russian guns. Despite a number of attempts to land paratroopers behind the Venetian lines, the Russians are unsuccessful, suffering thousands of casualties, yet taking many a Venetian with them. At the end, the Russians withdraw from a battlefield, bruised, but not completely broken, in order to regroup and organize their defences. Thus, the Venetians claimed victory at the Battle of Belaya Tserkov, solely due to having control of the battlefield. Yet, the subsequent events were to prove their perception of the events wrong. As the Venetians pushed towards Kiev, they dismayed to find the countryside destroyed, towns evacuated, and Kiev itself a ghost town, all of the government and most of the citizens evacuated to a secondary outpost of Moskva (Moscow). Thus, the Burning of Kiev, which was later the cause for much Russian propaganda, was hardly warranted. It was late October, and the Venetians attempted to set themselves up for the upcoming winter - however, the provisions were scarce, and even drops of food and supplies by the Venetian airships were not helping much. To make the matters worse, Crimea was still in Byzantine hands, and continuous raids of Byzantines from the south and Russians from the north ate away at the Venetian force. The Russians begun to employ a scorched earth tactic, avoiding battle with what they knew to be a potentially superior force, but trying to exhaust the Venetians to where the elements would become Russia's most powerful ally.
1020 - A Byzantine attack in North Africa takes Carthage from the Venetians, and pushes through Mauretania all the way to the Gibraltar. In a meanwhile, Byzantine agents are hard at work in Giovannia, fanning the flames of discontent with Venetian rule, where many of the local aristocrats and landowners are justifyably appalled at the ever-increasing taxes, and their lack of say in the Venetian government (made even worse by what they perceive as "freedoms" enjoyed by the people of same social class in Italy and Gaul). In a meanwhile, the Venetian army, reduced by the winter, lack of supplies, and Russian and Byzantine raids, is an easy prey for the major Russian counterattack. By then, advances in chemistry allowed for a primitive form of poison gas to be produced, and the Venetians are not hesitant to use whatever little they have - however, despite extreme casualties, the Russians surround the Venetian army near Kiev, and in the Battle of Kiev, thoroughly annihilate the Venetians. The Russian propaganda promises a "march to the sea" that will avenge the burning of Kiev and the Venetian use of poison gas, which they decree as criminal. The Khazar attack on the Russian heartland is just an unsuccessful as the Venetian one, especially since the Khazars do not possess the "tanquettes" in large enough numbers on the Western front, instead committing more of their resources to the battles in China where the Chinese are slowly encroaching in Siberia. Thus, the Russians, augmented by Byzantine reinforcements, roll over Poland and Lithuania, pushing the Venetians back as far as Germany. In a meanwhile, a major rebellion, partially sponsored by the Byzantines, rocks Gaul, with the local Franks loudly demanding independence. The Venetian position becomes increasingly more dire, although not hopeless yet. In the Pacific Ocean, the great Maya Vandal fleet meets the main Chinese force, and annihilates it; the Axumites finally break through the Egyptian defences and attack Cyprus, but are beated back by determined Byzantine defenders. The Chola and the Chinese send an expedition against Axumite-held Madagascar, failing to land the troops on an island, but causing much damage. The Axumites retaliate with a raid of their own against Ceylon, which is not any more successful. The land fighting continues in the Arabian peninsula where the Caliphate troops are finally able to turn the tide and to push the Axumites to the Red Sea. The previously neutral state of Rajputana, realizing its precarious position, joins the Byzantine alliance.
1021 - A naval Venetian expedition to retake North Africa succeeds in retaking Gibraltar and Mauretania. This gives new hope to the Venetian Empire, and plans are being made for the one operation that is expected to bring Byzantium to its knees once and for all - an assault on Constantinople itself! The Venetians attempt to refit their entire airship armada, and to make a two-pronged attack on the Byzantine capital, with the Venetian battleships bombarding the Walls of Theodosius as the airships reduce the Byzantine capital to ruins, and decimate its population by poison gas canisters which are by now mass-produced. The Byzantines, however, learn of the planned attack, and are prepared to meet the Venetians at sea and in the air. There are two battles fought, one naval at Chios in the Aegean, and another one almost entirely fought in the air, with forty Byzantine airships engaging the force of sixty Venetian ones in the skies above Adrianople. Despite the Venetian numerical superiority in the Battle of Adrianople, the Byzantines use a new, revolutionary concept of an airship carrier, with the largest airships sending waves of rocket gliders armed with incendiary rounds against the Venetians. The Venetian airforce is destroyed almost to a man, while the Byzantines lose "only" half of their initial airfleet. However at Chios, the Venetians are victorious, and decide to sail to the Sea of Marmara and attempt to reduce Constantinople by sea. They arrive to find Thrace completely mobilized, and the straits blocked by the remnant of the Byzantine navy, reinforced by hundreds of land guns. Venetian commanders order an attack, but in the battle of Marmara, the returning Byzantine airships prove to be the key factor that sends the Venetians home packing.
1022 - Despite disastrous assault on Constantinople, Venetians are still confident of their ability to win the war, bolstered by the Khazar and Vandal successes against the Chinese, and even an abortive Khazar invasion of Armenia that caused Byzantines much grief. In 1022, however, they are hit with three devastating events that significantly shift the balance of war. First, Vinnlanders, attempting to remove the Khazars from Alaska and American northwest, declare war, joining in the Treaty of Alexandretta. Vinnland succeeds spectacularly in taking the Khazar lands in North America, and even crossing into lightly defended Kamchatka, establishing a foothold there. Second, encouraged by the Byzantine agents, the Venetian colony of Giovannia revolts, and declares itself an independent republic. Tied up in Europe, the Venetians could only rely on the Vandals to fight the rebels, however, such move, seen as bringing a foreign oppressor to rein in the citizens, proves to be extremely unpopular in Giovannia, galvanizing much of its now rather extensive population to fight. Within a year, the Vandals are thrown out of Giovannia (which they did not make much fuss about, sending only a small force anyway), and Byzantium is the first to recognize Giovannian independence. Third, the Russian "march to the sea" breaks through Venetian defences around the Rhine. Combined with independence-seeking Franks, the Venetian armies are broken, pushed back to the Appennines and the Pyrennees, where they make a desperate stand. With Russian and Byzantine support, the state of Gaul is established as a protectorate kingdom, nominally independent, but practically a puppet of the two powers.
1023 - Seeing Byzantines and their allies gain an upper hand, Maya Vandalor swallows its scruples about dealing with the devil you know, and switches sides. The price - Chinese California. The Chinese are unhappy about this, but are promised Axumite Australian holdings, and as much of Khazar Siberia as they could grab, in addition to huge compensation. This proves to be the final straw for the Venetians, who are at last ready to meet at the negotiations table, knowing full well that the Byzantines and the Vandals together are only months away from launching a full-scale invasion of Italy just as the Russians are only barely held by the Appennine mountains and the desperate efforts of Venetian defenders. The peace terms are harsh, and include Venetian recognition of Gaulish and Giovannian independence, dismantling of much Venetian industry, indemnities to Byzantium and Russia, installment of an autocratic Emperor with the rank of a mere Caesar (as opposed to the Augustus rank of the Byzantine Emperor) who, of course, would be not much more than a Byzantine pawn, and dismantling of the Venetian Senate. In addition, the peace terms specifically state the superiority of the Byzantine Emperor to his Venetian counterpart. The Russians were to get the German and Frankish lands held by Venice outside of borders of roughly OTL France. Finally, most of the chief Venetian scientists were to be handed over to Byzantium. With little choice, the Venetians signed the document, entering into a separate peace. In the East and in Africa, seeing their main ally taken out of the war, the Axumites and the Khazars are quick to enter into peace agreements. As a result, China gets a large chunk of Siberia and the parts of Australia not previously under Byzantine control; Vinnland acquires all Khazar territories in the New World, plus Kamchatka. The Vandals get to keep their gains, although they are persuaded to pay a large indemnity to the Chinese. The Byzantine South Africa is regained from Zimbabwe, who got off relatively lightly, only having to surrender several border towns and to pay an indemnity. The Caliphate regains its long-lost Arabian territories from Axum, although does not get the territories under Egyptian control. Egypt gets few border towns from Axum, but not much else. The nation of Dalmatia as such ceases to exist, the entire region and most of the Dalmatian coast going to Byzantium, along with all of Venetian North Africa. The Caliphate also regains the parts of OTL Afghanistan that were under Khazar control, and obtains several smaller islands in the Pacific previously owned by Axum, thus resulting in it being seen as somewhat of a regional power again. The war cost insurmountable suffering and grief, and its economic cost would be a heavy burden upon both victors and losers for years to come; the war cost officially estimated fifteen million lives - with the real figure probably much higher. But for once, even if for a short while, there was peace.
Next installment (covering a greater, albeit somewhat less involved, time period) - tomorrow or even later on today.
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Great Installment Midy, I love the way how you described the Great War of the TL, I wonder what will happen in the future(The Byzantines have left an Wounded Animal, and possible Facist Venice?) Also will the Chimu prosper from the damages of the Great War and possible expell the Tawantinsuya.
Historico said:
Well, not to give out any spoilers, but, what the hell...
WARNING - SPOILERS!!!
the title of the next installment should give a few clues... it is Pax Byzantia
- however, it should not be mistaken for the notion that the Byzantines took over the world, rather, that they are likely to enjoy a period of relative peace and prosperity.As far as Fascist Venice, not very likely IMO, not in the least because the Byzantine government has many Fascist overtones (military-industrial complex and government being one, an authoritarian ruler with absolute power, etc), and the Venetians are not going to like it much. This is not to say, however, that the Venetians are not going to go through some major changes...
The Chimu are probably not going to last for very long, not in the least because they are sandwiched between a somewhat aggressive China (through its colonial gains), newly established Giovannia which has imperial ambitions of its own, and Byzantine colonies which seek to use the Chimu to alter the balance of power in South America in their favor. Should the Chimu not strike a balance with these powers, its fall to Tawantinsuya could still happen, albeit as a coup engineered by Byzantines, Giovannians, or Chinese in order to get a friendlier government in power.
And, another spoiler regarding what is going on in the nearer future... let's just say that Venice is not the place the Byzantines have to be worried about for quite some time ...
The Byzantines have dissolved the Venetian Senate and imposed an autocratic puppet-Emperor.
When will we have our 1848 (or 1830, since that's when Louis XVII, installed by the Powers after Napoleon fell, fell)?
When will we have our 1848 (or 1830, since that's when Louis XVII, installed by the Powers after Napoleon fell, fell)?
Matt Quinn said:
Probably in not too long, I'd say that the Byzantine puppet ruling in Italy will not last more than 20-30 years (that being the first "Caesar" and his immediate heir or two), but then again, the Byzantines' ultimate goal is to reincorporate Italy and Iberia into the Roman Empire under Constantinople. To this purpose, even a puppet Frankish state is technically a vassal of Byzantium, and is nominally Byzantine territory.
The thing is, the victory will have far-reaching effects on the Byzantine society too, so there may be some kind of liberalization - not to mention if there is going to be someone or something that is not of Roman origin, large, aggressive, advanced, and very, very angry... the Byzantines and their Venetian almost-subjects are likely to see eye-to-eye on many more things in this case...
And here's the map showing the effects of the Great War
Squibbles:
-> I took liberty in assuming that the boundaries between Zimbabwe and S. Afr. did not change
-> It is hinted that a large of Siberia is forked over to China, thus the immense size that China currently occupies
-> I have given some land to the Russian Colonies due to them probably thinking of expanding with what little manpower they have from the Great War
-> I cemented the boundaries with Danemark
-> Oh and I broke up Columbia to the various local powers in the area
Quibbles:
-> Who the heck has Greenland & Iceland?
-> How's Danemark coming along?
-> How big is the "Chilean Colonies" expanded?
-> How big has the Chimu expanded?
-> In the statement that Gaul is indenpendent- does that mean the whole of OTL's France? Does Venice get to keep the bit of coastline near Italy?
-> Does Vinnland get Washington/Vancouver/BC Coastline/Oregon?
Squibbles:
-> I took liberty in assuming that the boundaries between Zimbabwe and S. Afr. did not change
-> It is hinted that a large of Siberia is forked over to China, thus the immense size that China currently occupies
-> I have given some land to the Russian Colonies due to them probably thinking of expanding with what little manpower they have from the Great War
-> I cemented the boundaries with Danemark
-> Oh and I broke up Columbia to the various local powers in the area
Quibbles:
-> Who the heck has Greenland & Iceland?
-> How's Danemark coming along?
-> How big is the "Chilean Colonies" expanded?
-> How big has the Chimu expanded?
-> In the statement that Gaul is indenpendent- does that mean the whole of OTL's France? Does Venice get to keep the bit of coastline near Italy?
-> Does Vinnland get Washington/Vancouver/BC Coastline/Oregon?
G.Bone said:
I think it looks great, with only one minor thing - Spain should still be Venetian, not Byzantine.
Greenland may as well be a Vinnland colony/protectorate, since it is very sparcely populated, it is viewed as the kind of a place to send exiles, and generally unwanted people (royals of the fallen dynasty, dissidents, etc). Iceland is technically an independent republic, very similar to OTL Iceland - small in population, not very rich, and not really on the radar of any of the major powers.
They are generally happy to have been left alone during the Great War, and because they are surrounded by the lands of victorious powers (or their vassals), expansion is the last thing on their mind. Rather, the Danes are a modestly sized regional power, big enough to keep the local duchies in line, but not really a heavyweight like Byzantium or Russia. It keeps its neutrality by practically paying off the Byzantines and the Russians with offers of tribute and trade rights, but at this point it is relegated to a minor power status.
The Chimu had not expanded much, partially due to the presense of the European and Asian powers there that want territory and resources for themselves. Thus, the extent you gave them is about right.
The Chilean colonies should by now go all the way to the Chimu frontier, although not straying far from the coast.
Unfortunately geography is not my strongest point
so that was probably not a very good explanation; but Venice should still have the Mediterranean coast between Italy and Iberia; the only Gaulish coast access would be in Atlantic, but not in Mediterranean.Yes, Vinnland should have a valid claim to these lands, and would consider it their own, although the Vinnlander population of these areas at this stage is rather nominal.
Thank you for making the map, it looks awesome!
Bah! Damn autocratic Byzantines!
You had so better have the Venetians kick their ass next time around.
You had so better have the Venetians kick their ass next time around.
DominusNovus said:Bah! Damn autocratic Byzantines!
You had so better have the Venetians kick their ass next time around.
Let's put it this way, the Venetians have an ace up their sleeve - and it happens to be an ace they don't even realize they have. Things are going to get more interesting very soon...
G.Bone said:
The Phillipines are correctly marked as being Chinese or in Chinese zone of influence - probably more so the latter, being a vassal of China. As for the islands for the Caliphate, I screwed up
- the islands should have been in the Indian Ocean instead. I am thinking the Maldives, plus a few smaller islands that would not even show on the map. The territory gain is rather symbolic, but helps the Caliphate to regain some self-esteem, so to say.