Britain and France strong, but not the strongest?

and an even smaller fraction of England's wealth and rich merchant class who are willing to sponsor colonialism.

Although it must be noted that the Scots were the intellectual heavyweights of Britain - but of course the Union benefited both kingdoms immensely.
 
That's a good idea. Could a more powerful Low Countries lend to keeping France in check? I say Low Countries, because as others have pointed out a Netherlands that controls the Beglian industrial core could become mighty. Or perhaps a far worse French Revolution that ends with France being permanently divided.

I can't really see France being permanently split to any large degree this late but a surviving Burgundy, including it's core territory would weaken and divert France even if it stayed out of Hapsburg hands. Or even a united Netherlands without a religious divide would be a markedly bigger colonial challenge provided it managed to avoid too many continental clashes.

They were, just in a different way. While they didn't outright annex a lot of territory, their ventures into Central America and the Pacific were more or less ventures of colonialism.

Like Russia American imperial expansion was overwhelming overland. Along with as you say later commercial imperialism in Latin America and the Pacific.

Is there a way to have England both fretting over its northern border with Scotland, and yet still maintain a small colonial empire for prestige's sake? I'm thinking along the lines of somewhere between Spain's later empire (the puny colonies in Africa) and Italy's.

I think England would still be a small scale imperial power. There were colonies and links established in the Caribbean prior to the union and also the Virginia settlement was just starting at that time. However it would almost certainly be a lot smaller if we're continually looking over our shoulders at what the Scots are up to.


What is the fate of India in such a scenario as an independent Scotland? I always find India is the hardest to deal with. Would the Portuguese (who, I imagine, would still be leading the colonial race in Asia) gobble it up? Could we see a partition, or an Indian dynasty conquering the Deccan?

Very difficult to say because there are so many potential butterflies. If both Britain and France are out of play as major powers who replaces them? Possibly, without a strong European presence a new local player, say the Marathas, form a new empire. Or possibly the area is split into spheres of influence, as China was with only limited formal holdings by European powers.

Can't see the Portuguese getting a major land empire in India. They didn't really have the strength while their religious intolerance would have made it difficult. Mainly they were a trading empire and were on the decline before the Dutch took over the east or they had the period of Spanish rule.

The quick way to knock out the British Empire is to keep England catholic. They would not have had to compete with Spain and France overseas to stop invasions at home, so it would have been a trading empire more like the Dutch and Portugese, also they would have obeyed the Pope's ruling on colonistation of America.

I think you mean they couldn't complete with France and Spain overseas because it would have meant a threat of invasion at home? Doubt that would be the case as the wealth of the new world and the east would have drawn in English and other players. Both to gain that wealth and deny it to rivals.

Also staying Catholic wouldn't have blocked colonisation in America. Unless you think France was a Protestant power.;)


This would also mean no Dutch infulence on British finances in the latter Stuart reigns, which would mean Britain couldn't afford to fight wars of colonisation without wrecking their economy (as France did).

That is a possible factor as either staying Catholic or maintaining a very powerful monarch could restrict economic development. However can't be sure of this.

As to a replacement European power it would have to be a Protestant one, how about Scotland!

A religious divide between England and Scotland would screw both powers on the colonisation front. Scotland would only have a minimal empire barring major changes and any English empire would be a lot smaller than the OTL British one.

Steve
 
Top