Challenge: Earliest possible world war

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create a world war as soon as is historically possible. Obviously, there were world wars before the First World War - like the Napoleonic Wars, among several others - but your objective is to predate even those.

The criteria for a world war:
- at least twelve independent states must be directly involved
- each side must have at least two independent great powers
- each side must have at least three additional regional powers
- military campaigns must take place in at least six of the following general regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, Eastern North America, Western North America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania
- the Americas must have been discovered

The earliest POD possible is 100 BC. Obviously, these criteria are kind of ridiculous and arbitrary, and you can challenge them and stretch them, if you want. Think of them more like guidelines. :p
 
the Dutch-Portuguese War is (by some sources) considered to have been a world war, it was fought in several theaters (Americas, Africa) and encompassed many powers. now, I know it doesn't come close to your criteria, but maybe with some minor changes it could be expanded into a bigger war with more great powers involved.
 
Midgard's Dark Ages timeline had a nuclear war in the 1100s, IIRC. However, I don't believe there were twelve independent powers on Earth at the time.
 
I already had an idea for a world war in 1825, with POD in the 1730's (see a minor timeline "The War to End War...in 1825), pitting Russia, France, the USA, Mexico, and the Sioux Native American Federation against Britain, Spain, the CSA, Texas, and Tecumseh's Native American Alliance. With suitable stretching this might be made to fit.

Speaking of the criteria, it seems obvious that the farther back you go, the more localized any great war would be due simply to lack of technology. On the other hand, even modern wars, like WWI, do not seem to fit the criteria. If we base stuff on where the fighting took place rather than where the home countries were located, there was only fighting in Europe, East Asia/Oceania (and this was all minor), the Middle East and Africa (also minor), and some naval affairs (this should be included as a category). No matter how they are stretched, you can't find 6 regions, and this is for a generally agreed upon 'World War'.

Personally, I like the idea of making the criteria where the home countries come from: at least 4 continents equals a World War, with.
 
A world war between Helleno-hybrid descended states in a ATG Lives Longer, etc or greater/earlier Hellenic colonization timeline. Unless they're all Buddhist and then there'd only be football riot level violence at best.
 
The criteria for a world war:
- at least twelve independent states must be directly involved
- each side must have at least two independent great powers
- each side must have at least three additional regional powers
- military campaigns must take place in at least six of the following general regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, Eastern North America, Western North America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania
- the Americas must have been discovered

Hmmm. I believe if the Ottomans had captured Vienna in 1529, they would ahve been open to continue expansion in Europe. An attack on Venice or the HRE or even Poland or Russia is not entirely unplausible as a next target. The Protestant powers; Sweden, Denmark-Norway, soon-after England, and various German Principalities, could have allied with the Ottomans to gain the advantage over the Catholics. Denmark-Norway and Sweden were historical enemies, so maybe the former could switch sides because of some disagreement or conflict. Or not. Portugal had colonies in Oman, and the Ottomans were nearby enough to launch a war in that area. If not, I can easily see a new Catholic spirit aroused and, if the strength is sufficient (it probably wouldn't be), they might launch a crusade of sorts. If conflicterupts between Russia and the Turks, easily a possibility, then Sweden and Russia can also go to war. The English could fight against or at least raid Spanish holdings in the Carribbean (something done in OTL around 50-60 years later before and after the Armada. Spain also had a number of significant forts in North Africa which in OTL were taken by the Ottomans. This vould be another campaign in the conflict. Good enough?
 
The criteria for a world war:
- at least twelve independent states must be directly involved
- each side must have at least two independent great powers
- each side must have at least three additional regional powers
- military campaigns must take place in at least six of the following general regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, Eastern North America, Western North America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania
- the Americas must have been discovered

Expanding on the original idea, I have a second set of criteria. Some of them are too mathematical, but I think they capture the spirit of a World War in any time era: plus, even the seemingly stupid ones have meaning:

-There must be at least two sides to the war, the first two with at least 4 members (which can include semi-organized federations as opposed to countries) each. If there are additional sides, they do not need to be as large.
-There must be significant fighting on at least 2 continents (significant here means at least 3 powers, at least 2 campaigns, and some non-trivial proportion of casualties).
-If applicable, there must be at least one naval campaign.
-If applicable, there must be as many air campaigns as possible.
-The participating powers must come from at least 4 continents. There does NOT have to be fighting in the homeland of all of the countries: in particular, some countries may send all of their troops abroad to help their allies.
-Part of at least 2 countries must at some point be occupied by at least one enemy country, and of these there must be significant guerilla activity in at least 1 country.
-At least 1 country must switch alliances during the war.
-If diplomacy has advanced this far, there must be at least 1 country in anarchy (which means that it must have at least 2 self-proclaimed governments. This criteria is satisfied by sufficiently large guerilla groups but NOT by civil war).
-Each side must have at least 1 country that does not directly participate in the fighting but supplies their side with money, weapons, or the like.
-The heavy period of fighting must least for at least 4 years (there can be winter breaks).
-At some point, at least 50% of the world's population must be part of a country involved in the war.
-The total casualty figure at the end of the war must be at least 1% of the world's population (seems insignificant? Think again.)


Whew! That's a long list. Feel free to pick it apart as you like.:)
 
Expanding on the original idea, I have a second set of criteria. Some of them are too mathematical, but I think they capture the spirit of a World War in any time era: plus, even the seemingly stupid ones have meaning:

-There must be at least two sides to the war, the first two with at least 4 members (which can include semi-organized federations as opposed to countries) each. If there are additional sides, they do not need to be as large.
-There must be significant fighting on at least 2 continents (significant here means at least 3 powers, at least 2 campaigns, and some non-trivial proportion of casualties).
-If applicable, there must be at least one naval campaign.
-If applicable, there must be as many air campaigns as possible.
-The participating powers must come from at least 4 continents. There does NOT have to be fighting in the homeland of all of the countries: in particular, some countries may send all of their troops abroad to help their allies.
-Part of at least 2 countries must at some point be occupied by at least one enemy country, and of these there must be significant guerilla activity in at least 1 country.
-At least 1 country must switch alliances during the war.
-If diplomacy has advanced this far, there must be at least 1 country in anarchy (which means that it must have at least 2 self-proclaimed governments. This criteria is satisfied by sufficiently large guerilla groups but NOT by civil war).
-Each side must have at least 1 country that does not directly participate in the fighting but supplies their side with money, weapons, or the like.
-The heavy period of fighting must least for at least 4 years (there can be winter breaks).
-At some point, at least 50% of the world's population must be part of a country involved in the war.
-The total casualty figure at the end of the war must be at least 1% of the world's population (seems insignificant? Think again.)


Whew! That's a long list. Feel free to pick it apart as you like.:)

Yikes! That was excessive.
 
If Christendom got its act together and made proper alliances with each other the Crusading movement could have been a world war of sorts. The theatres could have been the Iberian penninsula, Anatolia, the Levant and the Sudan. Better still if other allies could be coopted as often as possible to attack Dar Al Islam from the east other fronts could be opened in central Asia.

It would be a world war because of it's huge geographic scope, it's many participants and because events in one thearte would have effects in other far distant theatres.
 
Expanding on the original idea, I have a second set of criteria. Some of them are too mathematical, but I think they capture the spirit of a World War in any time era: plus, even the seemingly stupid ones have meaning:

-There must be at least two sides to the war, the first two with at least 4 members (which can include semi-organized federations as opposed to countries) each. If there are additional sides, they do not need to be as large.
-There must be significant fighting on at least 2 continents (significant here means at least 3 powers, at least 2 campaigns, and some non-trivial proportion of casualties).
-If applicable, there must be at least one naval campaign.
-If applicable, there must be as many air campaigns as possible.
-The participating powers must come from at least 4 continents. There does NOT have to be fighting in the homeland of all of the countries: in particular, some countries may send all of their troops abroad to help their allies.
-Part of at least 2 countries must at some point be occupied by at least one enemy country, and of these there must be significant guerilla activity in at least 1 country.
-At least 1 country must switch alliances during the war.
-If diplomacy has advanced this far, there must be at least 1 country in anarchy (which means that it must have at least 2 self-proclaimed governments. This criteria is satisfied by sufficiently large guerilla groups but NOT by civil war).
-Each side must have at least 1 country that does not directly participate in the fighting but supplies their side with money, weapons, or the like.
-The heavy period of fighting must least for at least 4 years (there can be winter breaks).
-At some point, at least 50% of the world's population must be part of a country involved in the war.
-The total casualty figure at the end of the war must be at least 1% of the world's population (seems insignificant? Think again.)


Whew! That's a long list. Feel free to pick it apart as you like.:)

Under these criteria (except for maybe the last two) I would say that a slightly expanded Thirty Years' War would qualify as a world war, if it doesn't already (not sure if there was significant naval combat in the Americas between Spain, England, and France at this time).
 
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