Challenge: Alt map of Europe, Make It So.

Right, here is a map I drew up, the challenge is to come up with a time line which includes Europe looking like this at some point (the Coloured nations are those that are considered a part of Europe, so in this it would include the north African one, but not Turkish nations or Cyprus). The modern day map could look very different, or it could not settle on this until today. The idea behind the map was to make Europe as different as I could, so I was trying to avoid states that would inevitably be called the name of an existing one (e.g, I've tried to avoid a Germany or France in particular). Borders can be juggled to fit with natural boundaries like rivers or mountains, but try to keep it to a minimum please.

Make is so, alt map of Europe.png
 
Any chance of getting a larger version of this? I'm having difficulty seeing the exact boundaries of the smaller nations you've put on here.
 
It was drawn up like that and I've not really thought much about the borders, they are based loosely on elevation in some places, if you wan't to see it more clearly then you could load it into paint and zoom in I guess.
 
It looks very balkanized. I think it is possible for Europe to look like this, with a POD a long time ago.
But it is difficult to really make a timeline if we do not know the names of the countries.
Do we know the date?

EDIT: the Venitian-Southern France country seems a bit ASB to me - maybe it is a dynastic union?.
 
Hm, this is one of those maps I can see certain states, but not others, working.

For instance (all names used as the most convenient term), Francia works - more or less.

I'm not sure what would produce the latter, but it holds together. England's divisions, not so much.

Borea (brown, we all see Denmark's familiar outline just because how that landmass works) is mixed.

I'm assuming we can pick any POD we like, but I still can't figure out how for instance the central European green works. Short of being a Habsburg Empire like scenario formed from personal unions, and possibly the Hungary like thing breaking off from that in a civil war.
 
Yup any POD you like, though it will probably have to be a LONG time ago...

However, I think that a better way of going about this would be to decide how everything on this map is at the present time (also pick a rough date for this to be set in) and work backwards from there, until you have a POD emerge. Once you've done this the idea's can be tweaked to make it more realistic.
 
The Venitian-Southern France country seems a bit ASB to me - maybe it is a dynastic union?.

Oh, those two are un-related, sorry I used a limited selection of colours. If to countries have significant distance between them but are the same colour then assume they are independent. Though this is intended to be very flexible, so if you want to have the two be linked then go ahead.
 
Geatland conquered Zealand?! :eek:
I'm calling Alien Space Bat on this immediately.
Scania they were bound to take eventually, but the very heart of Denmark?!
 
Yup any POD you like, though it will probably have to be a LONG time ago...

However, I think that a better way of going about this would be to decide how everything on this map is at the present time (also pick a rough date for this to be set in) and work backwards from there, until you have a POD emerge. Once you've done this the idea's can be tweaked to make it more realistic.

I'm not sure if there's any particular POD that could lead to this, none of it resembles any OTL trends (or alternate trends from an obvious POD) I know of.

Its a very interesting map, I'm just at a loss other than bits and pieces.
 
Geatland conquered Zealand?! :eek:
I'm calling Alien Space Bat on this immediately.
Scania they were bound to take eventually, but the very heart of Denmark?!

Actually Zealand is independent of both, my bad with the similar colours.

I'm not sure if there's any particular POD that could lead to this, none of it resembles any OTL trends (or alternate trends from an obvious POD) I know of.

Its a very interesting map, I'm just at a loss other than bits and pieces.

That was pretty much the aim, I wanted to do something that was truly Alternative history. There are a few things that can be picked out and based on historical trends, for example the pink country between Normandy and Jutland, that could be some form of Francia, the Blue and Red Greek states could be surviving Sparta and Athens respectively and the North African state could be from the expansion of Carthage.

the countries in Great Britain almost all have historical ancestors, the Northumbria equivalent (the big dark blue one) could be from Scandinavian invaders, while the South Wales/South-East England country could be what survived the invasion while the Kent/Essex one could be another invaded state, this time due to the Franks. Up north there is Strathcylde and Pictland to be seen plus a massively enlarged Scottish Dál Riata.

What I'd like to do is try and work out how this world is and how it could have come along and then build a time line. Once Europe is done I'd like to move to the rest of the world.
 
Actually Zealand is independent of both, my bad with the similar colours.

As I understand it, Borea (brown Denmark-like thing) just has the main peninsula, right?

That was pretty much the aim, I wanted to do something that was truly Alternative history. There are a few things that can be picked out and based on historical trends, for example the pink country between Normandy and Jutland, that could be some form of Francia, the Blue and Red Greek states could be surviving Sparta and Athens respectively and the North African state could be from the expansion of Carthage.

the countries in Great Britain almost all have historical ancestors, the Northumbria equivalent (the big dark blue one) could be from Scandinavian invaders, while the South Wales/South-East England country could be what survived the invasion while the Kent/Essex one could be another invaded state, this time due to the Franks. Up north there is Strathcylde and Pictland to be seen plus a massively enlarged Scottish Dál Riata.
True. I don't think you could have this as permament, but maybe as the situation as of (Making up a date) 1600.

What I'd like to do is try and work out how this world is and how it could have come along and then build a time line. Once Europe is done I'd like to move to the rest of the world.
I'll see what I can do here then. Comments above apply as well as those down below.

Let's see:

Ireland is divided in three pieces, okay. Not sure how that works out exactly, but that's manageable enough.
Britain is divided as you said. Maybe the SE is something that successfully broke free and the SW is a resurgent kingdom over a not-so-united dark blue.

Iberia is a toughie - but I think there's a collapsed empire in there.

France is divided between a very successful kingdom of Aquitaine which has imposed its suzerainty over the northwest, some form of Occitan and then some state in the SE, and Francia.

Central Europe...apparently the (ex?)pagan Slavic kingdoms worked out differently than OTL.

And...that's as far as I can go.

Some of this really is tough, but you have several potential very interesting states here. I want to emphasize that because if others can fill in the rest, this would make a very good timeline.
 
As I understand it, Borea (brown Denmark-like thing) just has the main peninsula, right?

Exactly!

True. I don't think you could have this as permament, but maybe as the situation as of (Making up a date) 1600.

I'll see what I can do here then. Comments above apply as well as those down below.

Let's see:

Ireland is divided in three pieces, okay. Not sure how that works out exactly, but that's manageable enough.
Britain is divided as you said. Maybe the SE is something that successfully broke free and the SW is a resurgent kingdom over a not-so-united dark blue.

Iberia is a toughie - but I think there's a collapsed empire in there.

France is divided between a very successful kingdom of Aquitaine which has imposed its suzerainty over the northwest, some form of Occitan and then some state in the SE, and Francia.

Central Europe...apparently the (ex?)pagan Slavic kingdoms worked out differently than OTL.

And...that's as far as I can go.

Some of this really is tough, but you have several potential very interesting states here. I want to emphasize that because if others can fill in the rest, this would make a very good timeline.

This all seems to work, I'd like to have one of the countries here be a naturally forming Jewish state, I'm thinking Create, after it became a trade route between Venice and the holy land, large numbers of Jewish traders ended up settling and eventually it came to be seen as the Jewish homeland after the Jew's become a majority.
 
This all seems to work, I'd like to have one of the countries here be a naturally forming Jewish state, I'm thinking Create, after it became a trade route between Venice and the holy land, large numbers of Jewish traders ended up settling and eventually it came to be seen as the Jewish homeland after the Jew's become a majority.

That might work. We have stranger things to try explaining.
 
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