Chaos TL: A world without Genghis Khan's conquests (finished!)

[Max Sinister]

14th century: History of science, summary, MAP!

History of science in the 14th century:

1319: Robert of Oldham discovers Law of exponential growth / compounded interest.

1320: Kamal al-Din Abul Hasan Muhammad Al-Farisi, Persian mathematician and physicist, dies.

1344: Death of Rabbi Levi ben Gershon, who wrote "Book of Numbers" in 1321 dealing with arithmetical operations, including extraction of roots, and "On Sines, Chords and Arcs", which examined trigonometry, in 1344.

1348: Displaced Constantinopolitans help founding a Platonic Academy in Florence. Knowledge of Greek spreads through Italy.

1367: James of Crawley shows that it's easier (and thus, according to Ockham's razor more probable) that Earth moves, instead of the heaven(s).

General state of the art:

Western Europe: Ockham's conciliarism is widespread among intellectuals who wish for a church reform. Realism has lost against Nominalism in philosophy. Kinematics distinguished from dynamics in physics. "The Law of Falling Bodies" documented in Oxford. First ideas about stochastics.
Humanism ideal lives. Artists invented the Central perspective. No printing yet, however. Humanist education lives up - kids may wear nice clothes instead of cowls, there's less corporal punishment and unnecessary praying, and they may play games. The progresses in art and education and the humanism are restricted mostly to Northern Italy, the scientific progress to England. And unfortunately, some of the humanists also read hermetic (ie: esoteric) books. The more extremes tend to a neo-platonistic or even neo-pagan religion (secretly, of course).

Islamic World: Tables of trigonometric functions which are correct to 8 decimal places of accuracy. Symbols in algebra introduced. Value of Pi calculated to 15 decimal places. One scholar calculates a model for the solar system, including elliptical orbits.

India: Kerala School founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama. They make a lot of progresses in Mathematics, among many others:
# Mathematical operations with zero.
# Infinite series expansions of functions.
# Power series.
# Taylor series.
# Maclaurin series.
# Trigonometric series.
# A rule to calculate approximate values of square roots.

China: The breakdown of the united Song state hampered science a lot. After the rebuilding of schools and libraries starts in 1375, however, soon new discoveries are made. Before the breakdown, calculating square roots is discovered.

Summary of the 14th century:
East Asia: China breaks apart, but is reunited under the Hong dynasty. The leader of the steppe people Arik-Buqa plagues North China and Choresm, drives some Siberians to the west.
Muslim World: Choresm falls apart after Shiite revolts, Persia becomes independent. The Rum-Seljuks conquer Syria, Balcans.
Eastern Europe: The Teutonic Order conquers several Russian princedoms. Serbia becomes independent for a short time. Russian schism, antagonists Vladimir and Kiev.
Western and Central Europe: English-French War(s). Rise of Switzerland. Several dynasties competing in the HRE. Scotland-Norway. Reconquista finished.
Rest of the World: America discovered by Danes. Aztecs start to rise.

About the map:
- Everything in black is clerical land: Papal state, Teutonic Order, and many bishopry in the HRE.
- Small states are white.
- The beggar's republics and Bohemia are in the same shade of gray.
- In Italy, colored states are: Savoy, Genoa, Venice, Florence, Naples.
- In Germany, colored states are: Brandenburg, Pomerania, the Swiss confederation, Holland-Flanders, the various Bavarian / Wittelsbach lands
- In Russia, two colored areas stand for states (Novgorod republic in the NW, Smolensk in the west), and the other two for states and their area of influence (Kiev, Chernigov and so on in the South, Vladimir-Suzdal in the East)

The first two centuries since the POD are done! Now let's go on...

 

[Oddball]

About the map:...

Just some nitpicking, or it could also be that I have missed something

- Iceland and Faroe Islands should be a part of the Kingdom of Norway. OTL it did not get Danish until 1815

- The west coast of Sweden down to Gothenburg should also be Norwegian. OTL it did not become Swedish until 1658

 

[Max Sinister]

Central Europe 1400-50

Retcon:
1368: After the defeat of king Henrik's forces in Denmark against the mighty nobles, some of them flee to Bornholm, forming the Bornholm brotherhood, starting piracy in the Baltic.

Central Europe 1400-50:

1401-07: Great Reform council of Geneva. After a century full of famines and corrupt popes, and the recent experience of the Black Death, everyone agrees that the church has to reform. Since the church can't possibly control the flagellant movement, and has the warning example of the beggar's republics before its eyes, even the church leaders agree. As one contemporary describes it, "the pope is trembling before the rightful wrath of the believers". The council decides the following reforms:
- Selling indulgences is forbidden. Some reformers propose that the jubilee is restricted to once per 50 or 100 years, but they don't succeed.
- Some of the worst offenders in the church are defrocked.
- Number of benefices per cleric is restricted.
- The pope has to return to Rome (the Italians insisted particularly on that).
- The kings succeed insofar as they have to give the church less money.
- The liturgy isn't reformed, however, and the translation of the bible stays forbidden.
For the first half of the 15th century, the popes and bishops are more respectable than before. The Seljuk threat also helps to make Catholic Christianity feel united again.

1401: Holy Roman Emperor Gerhard of Holstein crushes the beggar's republic of Utrecht, adding it to his empire.

1402: The new continent in the west is mentioned for the first time in a document under the name it finally gets: Atlantis (ITTL, the works of Platon are read more often among the educated Western Europeans).

1404: Florence invades the beggar's republic of Parma, annexing it.
Poland attacks the Teutonic Order, wins the first Teutonic-Polish war; Pommerellen (with access to the sea) becomes Polish.

1406: Emperor Gerhard is murdered by a Danish nobleman, who hates the all-powerful Germans.

1407: Maffeo Servitore, a cunning Florentine diplomat, sees the weakness of the divided Northern Italy, so he devises a plan. Meeting with the rulers of Savoy and Venice, all of Northern Italy except Genoa is divided into spheres of influences, which said three states may conquer. Otherwise, the big three are supposed to live in peace. Until the 1430s, this is what happens: The little city states (which are near collapse after the difficult 14th century) of Northern Italy are "mopped up". As a result, many Italians leave their country (especially from Pisa and Milan), going to France and Aragon, and some other states too, spreading Italian art.
Hanseatic League defeats the Bornholm brotherhood of pirates, who flee partly to Norway, partly to Frisia.

1408: Duke Ottokar of Austria (and titular king of Bohemia) asks the Roman king to conquer Bohemia back for him. When king Gerhard declines, Ottokar has himself elected anti-king with Bavarian help and starts a war against Bohemia. In 1413, after his armies have been defeated severely several times by the Czech leader Prokop, he puts down the crown again and apologizes.

1414: Holland, important for its trade, gets the eighth electoral vote in the HRE.

1419: Roman king Gerhard II is crowned emperor and also appoints himself king of the Netherlands (which include Holland, Zeeland, Hennegau and Utrecht at that time), with the pope's OK.

1421/22: Swabish War in the HRE. The Empire proves unable to force Switzerland and its allies of the South German city league back into the fold.

1426: Boleslaw VI of Poland and Birger II Eriksson ally against the Teutonic Order. 1432 they are victorious again; Poland keeps its conquests from the last war and also gets Wolhynien, Sweden gets Estonia (that's only the northern half of OTL Estonia, though).

1430: Emperor Gerhard dies. His lands are divided: His older son Gerhard becomes king of the Netherlands and Roman king, Heinrich becomes king of Denmark. This leads to some trouble in Atlantis. The Hanseatic League also sees more internal competition: The cities in Holstein compete with the Dutch and Flemish cities, and the cities in the Baltic (and also those in OTL Hanover) stand aside a bit.
Vaclav IV elected new king in Bohemia (-1471). His government better shouldn't be mentioned in more secular times: Living completely with his head in the clouds, he claims to listen to God and the angels. Historians of later times claim that he simply suffered under a heavy schizophrenia. Under his reign, Bohemia is transformed into what one can only call a theocracy, with horrible results for their arts, science, economy and diplomacy.

1430-35: Savoy invades the republic of Genoa, annexing it. The duke treats the conquered city relatively well, though; he wants to use it to become a power in the Med, too.
Venice annexes the patriarchate of Aquileia (part of the HRE).

1432: After the death of childless king Zsigmond II of Hungary, the nobles elect Karl von Hessen new king.

1435: King Gerhard is defeated by the Frisians under chief (yes, they had chiefs) Enno of the Cirksena family when he tries to conquer their lands.

1442: A primitive kind of printing is developed in Antwerp, center of cloth printing. It has no movable letters, but uses wood blocks instead. Thanks to government contracts, the new technology soon spreads through the Netherlands.

1444: Venice and Aragon defeat Florence, fearing its economical competition, destroy its fleet, force it to sign an "everlasting treaty" forbidding Florence's ships to go to ANY harbor in Europe or the Mediterranean (except those on its own territory). In addition, Florence has to pay a big sum of money. Florence offers the winners to give them Corsica instead, but they are not interested.

[post=620450]Short story here...[/post]

 

[Max Sinister]

Middle East 1400-1450

Middle East 1400-1450:

1402: Rum-Seljuks make an alliance with the Barbary pirates of North Africa. Their first combined strike goes against Genoa, which loses its islands in the Agaean Sea.

1406: Rum-Seljuks try to conquer Montenegro and are surprisingly beaten back by the Montenegrins.

1409/10: Rum-Seljuks conquer the Peloponnes, plus the Venetian islands in the Aegaean Sea. A bit later, the Ionian islands also fall.

1414-18: For the first time for centuries, people in Europe are horrified again of "Asian hordes": A Seljuk-Barbary fleet crosses the Adria, lands near Taranto / Otranto, sweeps through Apulia. The king of Naples is horrified and asks anyone he can contact for help. Not that successful: France is still locked in a hard war with England and Castille; the Hungarian king would actually like to help, but the powerful nobles forbid him to send an army south while Hungary proper is threatened; the northern Italian states are busy mopping up the smaller states in the region. The pope calls for a crusade, but even that doesn't help much. Being desperate, the king makes an alliance with Naples' old enemy, Aragon, ceding Sicily officially, for once and ever, to them. The new alliance manages to defeat the Seljuks in the South. Especially their cannons help them a lot to reconquer the cities. Only Taranto and Bari in Apulia are held by the Seljuks. In 1418, an armistice is made - but both sides plan to restart war, when the time is right.

1425-36: The Great Napolitan War. After the Seljuks managed to hire an expatriate Italian willing to equip their army with cannons, they restart the war.

1426: King Ferran of Aragon takes Oran for Christianity.

1427: France enters the war on Naples' side.

1429: Circass dynasty comes to power in Egypt.

1431: After the French almost managed to defeat the Rum-Seljuks, the latter are exceptionally lucky: During the battle, the king is captured. He has to promise to leave the war to be released again. Now the tides of war turn again.

1436: The greater part of Naples becomes Seljuk. Only the western third with Pescara, Benevent, and Naples itself survives as a tributary.

1440s: The Carbonari (charburners), the anti-Seljuk resistance in Naples, start to form.

1441: Palestine (including the Sinai) becomes Seljuk.

1445: The Holy Cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, accept the Rum-Seljuk sultan as Caliph.

1448: Venice loses Dalmatia to the Seljuks, only keeps Istria.

And while we're talking about the Muslims, one retcon for them, i.e. their science:

During the 14th century, in Damascus (famous for its glassworks) prisms are used to discover the spectral nature of light.
Furthermore, the Muslims also discover the laws of falling.

[post=623622]Read "Elegy of the Seljuk storm" here...[/post]

 

[Scarecrow]

hey this is pretty good Max. I demand MORE!!! the Seljuks are most interesting.

 

[Max Sinister]

Western / Northern Europe and Atlantis 1400-50

Thanks Scarecrow. I'll write more about the Seljuks - later, however.

And here's Western / Northern Europe and Atlantis 1400-50:

Since ~1400: Europeans take up more or less regular trade contact with America / Atlantis. While they only import tobacco first (which isn't smoked ITTL first, but burned and inhaled instead, and mostly used as a medicine), the Europeans soon discover the value of beaver and raccoon pelts. Since the natives (called Atlanteans, what else) don't have much gold, the Europeans aren't too keen on extending their discoveries at the moment, only go as far south as OTL Virginia. At the beginning, the trade is in the hands of the Hanseatic League, which helps the princes of Holstein-Holland-Hennegau to become pretty rich.

1409: Robert, the younger brother of king David of Scotland-Norway, tries to conspire with some Norwegians to become king of Norway himself - without success.

1410: Portugal has restarted its discoveries after the shock of the Black Death, reaches Cabo Nao (important because the Arabs never sailed further south than here).

1414: England under new king Richard III makes alliances with Castille and the Netherlands, attacks France again.

1416: Robert of Scotland tries to murder his brother, but his conspiracy is prevented, and he is incarcerated for the rest of his life. (Unfortunately for him, he'll become 80 years old.)

1417: After the death of king Harald, his brother governs Denmark until his nephew Erik VIII comes to age. Now however, Holy Roman Emperor Gerhard II (who already owns Jutland as a fief) conspires with the regent's younger brother, eventually taking power in Denmark for himself.

1418: Portugal discovers, claims and later settles the Azores.

1421: France makes a seperate peace with the Netherlands, giving emperor Gerhard Flanders, which is incorporated into the Netherlands. Now, the tides turn again: Storming the conquered cities with cannons and relying on their greater manpower, the French slowly drive the allied English and Castillians back.
After the death of Pedro II the Cruel of Portugal, the country descends into Civil War.

1424: The Cortes, the Castillian estates, protest the high costs and low results of the war. King Pedro is sorry about it, but has to leave the war too. He has better things to do: Interfere in the Portuguese Civil War, where the sons of unpopular king Pedro II fought against each other after his death. At the end, Pedro of Castille becomes new king of Portugal, and the two sons become princes of North and South Portugal respectively. By using this division, Castillian kings can keep Portugal under control, although they have to respect Portuguese rights.

1426: Scotland decides to follow the Danes & Dutch on their trips, establishes colonies around Cape Cod, which is called New Scotland ITTL.
When the pope and the Anjou king of Naples asks the French king for a crusade against the Seljuks, king Charles IV agrees. He makes peace with the English, leaving Guyenne in their hands; king Richard III has to accept it as a fief, though.

1430: To get rid of the mighty nobles in Castille, king Pedro III tells them to go on a crusade to Morocco, which is subjugated during the next 20 years.

1430s: Unrest among the peasants in England, which keeps the king and the nobles busy. The unrest is also religiously motivated - a William Aston translated the bible into English.

1434: Portuguese discoveries (which suffered due to the Civil War) restarted again. At the moment, they have reached Cape Bojador, which is believed to be impassable.

1435: Black Death hits the New World, destroying some small European settlements too; other trade places have to be given up, since the Atlantean trade partners have died or don't want to have contact with the Europeans anymore. They now concentrate on a few places: Haraldsland (Newfoundland), New Jutland (Nova Scotia), Prince-Harald-Island (Manhattan), Nieuw Zeeland (Atlantic City island), plus the Scottish-Norwegian colony on Martha's Vineyard.

1438: The kings of Denmark and the Netherlands finally agree for a compromise in the New World, negotiated by the pope: Denmark keeps the northern colonies (Prince-Harald-Island, Haraldsland, New Jutland), which are extended with time over the whole OTL Canadian Maritimes and the Hudson valley. The Netherlands get the Southern colony of Nieuw Zeeland and are allowed to colonize the lands further South.

1439: Brittany gets a pro-French ruler, eventually returning to the fold.

1440s: Portuguese start slave trade between Africa and Atlantis. At this time, the slaves are mostly captured Muslims from Morocco.

1441: Mayapan destroyed (no Europeans involved).

1449: Portuguese captains manage to sail around Cape Bojador, which was believed to be the last safe point you can sail to. Now they've proven the opposite. The way around Africa is opened.
In Portugal, a revolt against the rule of Castillian king Pedro starts.

[post=628287]Read about some Atlantean business here![/post]

 

[Scarecrow]

Very nice. Just a quick sugestion. the name that the Native Americans in Virgninia used for tobacco was uppowoc, which may be an alternative name used for tobacco ITTL

 

[SteveW]

This is superb, Max. Really interesting, and unusual- are we going to see an extremely strong Netherlands emerge and dominate that chunk of Germany too?

 

[Max Sinister]

East Asia 1400-50

@Scarecrow: Thx! Although I don't know about uppowoc, it sounds a bit silly... you don't know by accident how other native Americans called it, maybe a bit further north?
@SteveW: Thx too. Well, let's see. Holland has a disadvantage, it sits next to the then-800 pound gorilla, ie France... that's a problem...

And here's East Asia 1400-50:

1394 (3091, Yang Wood Dog): Ryukyu Islands annexed by China.

15th century generally: Sultanate of Brunei starts to expand over Borneo.
Hong China sends caravans along the Silk Road to Choresm, starting diplomatic relations.

Since 1400: Japanese start copying Chinese arms (bamboo guns, cannons) - the first ones are smuggled in - , and improving them.

1400-02 (3097, Yang Metal Dragon / 3099, Yang Water Horse): First voyage of Chinese Treasure Ships. They travel to Pasai (Sumatra), Melaka, Ayutthaya, Khmer, Pagan, to arrive in Calicut.

1403 (3100, Yin Water Sheep): China establishes a trade post at Aparri, Luzon, OTL Philippines.

1404-06 (3101, Yang Wood Monkey / 3103, Yang Fire Dog): Second voyage of Chinese Treasure Ships. They travel to Calicut again, and also visit Sri Lanka, which king accepts the Hong as supreme rulers.

1407-09 (3104, Yin Fire Pig / 3106, Yin Earth Ox): Third voyage of Chinese Treasure Ships. This time they go east, to Brunei, Majapahit, and even discover the north coast of Australia (although they aren't interested in the latter).

1408 (3105, Yang Earth Rat): The ruler of Melaka (Malacca) marries a Chinese noblewoman, starts paying a small tribute to China. This is one of many signs of the cultural changes brought to SE Asia by the Chinese.

1410s: Mongol incursions under Baraq Khan on Chinese territory force the Chinese to interfere. They support the Merkites, splitting their enemies in two.

1416-19 (3113, Yang Fire Monkey / 3116, Yin Earth Pig): The great voyage: Chinese Treasure Ships go to Hormuz, visit Persia and open diplomatic relations, and a part of them sails down the African coast to Mozambique. Following them, Chinese merchants open new trade connections. Although under the Hong trade is still somewhat despised, they tend to accept it as a necessary evil - especially since to revenue isn't something to sneer upon.

1419: Grand Canal between South and North China renewed.

1420s: Civil War in Majapahit. China intervenes here, too. By playing out the empires of Melaka and Majapahit agaisnt each other, they put sure that neither gains the upper hand.

1421: Deccan Sultanate becomes independent from Delhi Sultanate.

1425/26 (3122, Yin Wood Snake / 3123, Yang Fire Horse): Annamese uprising defeated.

1430s: Inner conflicts in Pagan split the country in two halfs. One of them, the Pegu dynasty (from the city with the same name), asks Hong China for help, gaining control of the rest of OTL Burma. China's sphere of influence now borders India.

1439 (3136, Yang Earth Horse): A general in Goryeo topples the king, adopts Confucianism as new state religion.

1446 (3143, Yang Wood Tiger): Thai conquer Angkor Wat, threaten to destroy the Khmer empire. Khmer appeal to the Hong Emperor to help them. The emperor agrees, threatens Thai; when the latter refuse, war starts in 1447 (3144, Yin Wood Rabbit).

1450 (3147, Yang Metal Horse): Thai are defeated, have to pay tribute to China.

[post=636313]Read about some detail about the Treasure Ships of the Hong...[/post]

 

[Max Sinister]

Eastern Europe 1400-50

Eastern Europe 1400-50:

1409: Last Rostislavich ruler of Kiev dies.

1413-22: Vladimir-Suzdal wants to solve the Russian schism by war, but Kiev and Chernigov ally with Novgorod and Smolensk against it, and manage to win. Vladimir-Suzdal has to acknowledge the patriarch of Kiev as leader of the Orthodox church again. The schism is thus ended.

1431: Since Hungary has trouble with the Bohemian theocracy, and the current king isn't that competent, Kiev manages to conquer back the areas Hungary took from Halich-Volhyn in 1375.

1432-35: Poland conquers the princedom of Smolensk. Since the anti-Vladimir coalition fell apart already, nobody in the Russian states helps them.

Sorry, I really hadn't more ideas.

Read: [post=640833]A crazy, but not completely useless idea I used for the development of Russian civilization[/post]

 

[HelloLegend]

Temujin's birth

Sorry if my post is late in the series.. I'm a new member who only discovered your wonderful website this past weekend. I am a student of Mongol history and I have this to say...

If I read your timeline correctly, even though Temujin doesn't live until 1227, he still existed and had the four sons including Ogedei. Instead of leaving behind a strong Mongol empire for Ogedei to inherit, the empire is significantly weaker. But why even bother?

Why not just do a TL where Temujin was never born at all?
Wouldn't the Jurchen (proto-Manchus) be the biggest winners in East Asia? The Jin Dynasty would eventually defeat the Sung in the South or the Sung would recover its previous Northern territories. Either way, China would be united again.

In OTL 1644 when the Manchus defeated the Ming Dynasty, it was the Asin-Gioro family that dominated Manchurian politics. However, my guess is that without the Mongol invasion disrupting the previous balance of power, it's the Niohuru (also pronounced Niugulu) family and not the Asin Gioro family that becomes the Ching Dynasty or its equivalent. This theory isn't new. But then due to the Butterfly effect is there even a Ming Dynasty for them to defeat in the first place? Any thoughts or comments?

 

[Max Sinister]

Middle East 1450-1500

@HelloLegend: Ming and Qing are butterflied away ITTL. The Jurchen / Manchu may still play a role in the future (but I won't tell more ). Thanks for the tip about the Niohuru family. About the Jurchen empire conquering the Sung, I don't know - their empire looked strong, but had problems within either. And I don't expect them to survive the catastrophe of the Black Death.

Why I didn't kill Genghis off immediately? Don't know anymore, I had the idea some years ago... maybe because I wanted to write a death scene for him (see [post=533587]Stories[/post]), maybe because I could start the TL in 1200 by that way (I don't know much about medieval times, and I didn't want to waste too much time on it, and besides, 1200 is a nice number), maybe because it would be interesting to see what his sons would do... anyway.

And here's Middle East 1450-1500:

1450/51: After a short war with Egypt, where they demonstrate their military power (cannons, large standing army), the Seljuks make the former one a tributary. Now Persia is the only other major Muslim power left.

1453: Aragonese troops land in Calabria, win some battles in the beginning. When the main army of the Seljuks arrives, they're beaten back to Sicily, however. In 1455, the Seljuks land on Sicily, conquering it completely in 1456.

1459-61: Naples completely subjugated by Seljuks. Everyone fears that the Papal states will be attacked next. The helpless pope flees to Avignon. So does king Charles / Carlo V.

1466: The infamous Sacco di Roma happens. In the following years, the church loses a lot of power to the various state governments (whether monarchical, republican or something in between). Castille-Portugal sends troops to Italy to fight for the pope.

1472: After lots of fighting, the Seljuks keep Latium, calling themselves from now on "rulers of both Romes". Despite the fact that the sultan is disappointed how insignificant Rome has become. The eastern parts of the Papal states become the Duchy/Protectorate of the Marches, theoretically still under the pope, de facto under the duke of Alba (Castille). Although noone says it loud, the pope and the other church leaders are quite content in Avignon and don't care that much about Rome anymore.

1477: Johannite knights defeated, Rhodes becomes Seljuk. The Castillian-Portuguese king gives them new home in Granada.

1480-1492: Seljuks break Hungary up, leaving only Slovakia and the western third to the king. The center and Croatia are annexed, Transsylvania becomes a tributary.

1496: Cyprus conquered by Rum-Seljuks.

[post=644533]Read the stories of/by some refugees from the Seljuks...[/post]

And since I forgot it last time, here's:
15th century, rest of the world:

Since ~1400: Power of Mali Empire begins to crumble, its former vassals (like Songhay / Gao) gain more power.

1417: The sultan of Malindi (OTL Kenya) receives Chinese diplomats.

1430-50: After the Castillian conquest of Morocco, some Moroccans start to flee South, to Mauretania or even Timbuktu.

~1440: Coffee is drunk for the first time outside Ethiopia.

1465: Songhay takes Timbuktu.

1472: Mai (=ruler title) Ali Dunamami defeats his rivals and begins the consolidation of Kanem-Bornu. He builds a fortified capital at Ngazargamu, to the west of Lake Chad, the first permanent home a Sayfawa (=his dynasty) mai has enjoyed in a century.

~1500: Mai Ali Gaji is able to defeat the Bulala and retake Njimi, the former capital.

15th century: Kingdom of Benin (in OTL SW Nigeria) starts to flourish. They're approached by Europeans in 1488.
Great Zimbabwe starts to fall apart. The city is given up.
Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia organizes the state into the provinces of Tigray (northern), Amhara (central) and Shewa (southern).
Loanga kingdom (OTL Republic of Congo) founded.

 

[HelloLegend]

You wrote:

@HelloLegend: Ming and Qing are butterflied away ITTL. The Jurchen / Manchu may still play a role in the future (but I won't tell more ). Thanks for the tip about the Niohuru family. About the Jurchen empire conquering the Sung, I don't know - their empire looked strong, but had problems within either. And I don't expect them to survive the catastrophe of the Black Death.
----------------------------------
My reply:
The Ming and Qing are just titles. However, the Manchu and Han Chinese ethnic groups still remain. I will confess that the reason why I bring up the Niohuru family being previously dominant is due to the fact that I have Niohuru blood, and since the banner tribes were so inbred by time Asin Gioro Pu Yi, I guess I have Asin Gioro blood coursing through my veins as well.

 

[Tocomocho]

1225 (as OTL): Latin Empire cedes almost all of Asia Minor and some islands in the Aegean Sea to Nikaia. Rum-Seljuks conquer Crimea.

It is correct? If I'm not wrong Rum had not the S-E coast of Black Sea at the time. It was controlled by Georgia and Trabzon Empire.

 

[Max Sinister]

Western / Northern Europe and Atlantis 1450-1500

@Toco: They had a small share of the South Coast though, at Sinop. And yes, they conquered Crimea in 1225 IOTL.

And here's Western / Northern Europe and Atlantis 1450-1500:

Since 1450: The invention of the caravel in Portugal further helps developing oversea trade and colonization.
The Dutch sail down the coast of Atlantis, found settlements (trading places) in Carolina, Georgia.
After the improvements in the first half of the century, the church gradually becomes more corrupt. The riches the Castillians took in Morocco already increased their wishes, and when their share from Atlantis and Africa is rolling in, they're demanding even more.

1453: Since the princes of North and South Portugal can't agree who should reign, Castille can impose its rule again - although the king again has to swear to accept Portuguese rights.

1455: King Louis XII of France has his completely mad younger brother Philippe (also duke of Bourbon) killed. The nobles (including the royal sidelines, and old king Richard III of England, who's talked by his advisors into it) who are already concerned with the growing power of the king, use this accident to rebel against him.

1456: Florentine traders arrive in Portuguese Tangiers (it's neither in Europe nor in the Med...) where they see the new sailing ships.

1460: French Civil War ends, Louis' other brother Charles becomes king. He has to grant the other dukes a lot of power, however, which makes them practically independent.
The Danish discoverer Anders Christensen explores the Hudson valley (later, OTL upstate New York is named Anderland after him).
The ambitious duke Bernhard I of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, who inherited most lands of the Welfs, founds a colony in Atlantis at the site of Philadelphia, called Martinsburg (with the help of the Hanseatic League cities Hamburg and Bremen).

1461: Portuguese discoverers reach the Senegal river. King Pedro insists that they try to find a way from here to the gold-rich Mali, which doesn't work. However, they start to trade for gold (and slaves) at the Mauretanian island of Arguim.

1463/64: England defeats Scotland, takes their colony of New Scotland, which is renamed New England, of course. The capital of the colony, Perth beyond the Ocean, is renamed after the winner of the battle, Boston. England slowly extends its settlements, until they go from OTL Bar Harbor, Maine, to New Haven, Connecticut.

1466: Swedes found Nystad, their first city in Atlantis, at the site of OTL Wilmington, Delaware. They claim the whole Chesapeake peninsula for Sweden.
Cape Verde islands discovered by accident.

1468: First Florentine caravel crosses the Atlantic, finds the way to Nystad. They discover the Potomac, and since the area is yet unclaimed by Sweden, they claim it for Florence.

1469: Brittany sends a ship to the new world; they find the coast of OTL Carolina, but the stronger Dutch don't allow them to make landfall.

1471: Anders Christensen discovers the mouth of St Lawrence river, but is killed a bit later by Atlanteans, so the expedition decides to return.

1475: Another Danish expedition reaches Lake Ontario. Soon, the first Danish colonies along St Lawrence river are founded. Together with the colonies of Prince-Harald-Island and Anderland, they form a belt around English colonies.

1477-83: Third Aquitaine War (those of 1341-85 and 1414-26 being the first two), which ends with Aquitaine finally becoming French. Scotland-Norway also entered the war on France's side.

1479/80: Sweden makes war with Norway, occupies and annexes Norwegian province of Jämtland.

1481: Tlacaelel, Cihuacoatl ("Prime Minister") of the Tenochca, dies.
Portuguese discoverers go further south, come to Guinea. The income of the Portuguese crown doubles within short time; the money is divided in three between the two Portuguese princes and the Castillian king, however.

1486: France sends the first ships to Atlantis, under a captain Coulon (of the infamous pirate family), making claim in the area of OTL Carolina, where they found Charlesbourg at the site of OTL Charleston.

1487: English take Scottish capital of Perth; king David and his three sons have to flee to Norway. The Shetland and Orkney islands become English, too.

1488: Portuguese reach the mouth of Niger river.

1490: Charles VI of France makes the Republic of Venice appoint his younger son Jean "protector of the republic", essentially giving him lots of real power, promising them an "everlasting alliance" with France against the Muslims.

1492 (SCNR): A Castillian expedition (well, it's funded by the king, and some of his people are on the ship, but since the Portuguese insisted, the captain and all the sailors are Portuguese - Castillians aren't allowed to build caravels) crosses the Atlantic, makes landfall in Florida (which is named the same way ITTL), claim it for Castille-Portugal.

1493: Huayna Capac becomes ruler of the Incas.

1497: King Pedro IV of Spain dies without heir; Castille-Portugal is united with England-Scotland, forming the Quadruple monarchy.

Read [post=648509]a scientific analysis why TTL Europeans never went around Africa[/post] (until much later)

And here's a list of Western and Northern European kings 1350-1500:

Kings of Scotland:
Daibidh / David II 1329-66
Raibeart / Robert II (*1350) 1366-1405
Daibidh / David III (*1378) 1405-39
Daibidh / David IV (*1408) 1439-54
Daibidh / David V (*1436) 1454-90
(Conquest by England)


Kings of England and Wales:
Edward IV (*1331) 1345-86
(one should note that through his reign, Edward III's younger brother Richard stood on his side and fought most of the war in France for him.)
Richard II (*1358) 1386-1412
Richard III (*1390) 1412-60
Richard IV (*1419) 1460-87

Since 1487: Kings of England and Scotland
Richard IV 1487-89
Richard V (*1447) 1489-92
Edward V (*1479) 1492-



Kings of France:
Jean I (*1316) 1317-55
Jean II (*1335) 1355-77
Louis XI (*1339) 1377-80
Philippe V (*1344) 1370-1420
Charles IV (*1375) 1420-50
Louis XII (*1402) 1450-55
Charles V (*1408) 1455-88
Charles VI (*1440) 1488-



Kings of Castille:
Alfonso XI 1312-59 (seems not to be the historical one)
Juan (*1338) 1359/60
Pedro I (*1342) 1360-1405
Pedro II (*1370) 1405-18
Pedro III (*1400) 1418-35
Pedro IV (*1427) 1435-97

British kings:
Eduardo I 1497-



Kings of Portugal:
Fernando (*1322) 1344-55
Diniz II (*1327) 1355-67
Pedro, son of Diniz II (*1350) 1367-1420
Pedro II, nephew of Diniz II (*1362) 1420/21

Interregnum 1421-27

Castillian kings:
Pedro III 1427-35
Pedro IV 1435-97

English kings:
Duarte I 1497-



Kings of Aragon:
Joan / John I (yes, it's a man - Catalan names are kinda funny...) 1335-60
Alfons IV 1360-65
Joan / John II 1365-77
Jaume / Jacob III 1377-95
Alfons V 1395-1404
Ferran / Ferdinand I 1404-07
Jaume IV 1407-19 (deposed)
Ferran / Ferdinand II 1419-40
Martí / Martin 1440-48 (deposed)
Alfons VI 1448-83
Joan / John III 1483-1500
Alfons VII 1500
Ferran / Ferdinand III 1500-



Kings of Denmark:
Heinrich / Henrik II (*1339) 1340-95
Harald IV (*1360) 1395-1417
Erik VIII (*1405) 1417-20

German Schauenburg dynasty:
Gerhard / Gert (*1377) 1420-30
Heinrich / Henrik III (*1407) 1430-72
Heinrich / Henrik IV (*1436) 1472-86
Heinrich / Henrik V (*1464) 1486-



Kings of Norway:
Magnus VII Eriksson 1319-65

Scottish kings, Bruce dynasty:
David I 1365/66
Robert 1366-1405
David II 1405-39
David III 1439-54
David IV 1454-90
David (Daibidh) V (*1466) 1490-



Kings of Sweden:
Magnus II Eriksson 1319-71
(Yes, it's the same king as in Norway. No, I'm not sure whether he's the same as IOTL.)
Erik XIII Magnusson (*1344) 1371-92
Birger II Eriksson (*1373) 1392-1432
Erik XIV Birgersson (*1402) 1432-62
Birger III Eriksson (*1431) 1462-94
Erik XV Birgersson (*1464) 1494-

 

[Max Sinister]

Central Europe 1450-1500

First some subsequent addition for Florence:

1330: Florence acquires Lucca for 75000 florin (gold coins).

1376: Giovanni de Medici gets dictatorial power in Florence. Since the republic feels threatened by the beggars roaming in Italy, the Medici can keep their power.

1387: Florence defends successfully against various mercenary groups who roam through Italy after the First Aquitaine War ended. The family degli Albizzi tries to cooperate with the mercenaries to oust the Medici from power, but are banned.

1400: Maffeo Servitore starts working as a secretary for the Medici.

1432: Uprising of the Ciompi (wool weavers). The Medici use this accident to take full power for themselves.

Central Europe 1450-1500:

1450s: Genoese invent the commercial lottery (derived from a system they used for choosing officials).

1454: King Gerhard II of the Netherlands dies without heir, so his lands fall to his old brother-in-arms Reinald of Geldern, who marries Gerhard's daughter (although she's 30 years younger than him... but well, this is royalty).

1456-69: Swiss Civil war between "Upper Switzerland" (south of the Rhine) and "Lower Switzerland".

1460: The Hungarian nobles elect Ludwig of Bavaria-Landshut king Lajos III, after king Karl / Károly died without heir.

1464: Great finding of silver in Tyrol, which makes the Luxembourger dynasty second-richest in the HRE. In 1472, their candidate Heinrich is elected Roman king.

Since 1466: Returning pilgrims spread the news that Rome was conquered by the infidels. Many sects believe that the end of time is near (the date of 1500 is mentioned). At first the war gives them hope that Rome can be reconquered, but when England-Castille-Portugal gives up Rome in 1472, they become desperate. Unrest spreads. At the same time, the growing riches (and corruption) of the church (which rules many territories in Germany) and the growing power of the princes makes some people wonder about secularization of said territories.

1472-76: Polish-Bohemian war. After the death of king Vaclav, the Poles hope for an easy victory, but the new king Jan II leads the Czech armies surprisingly well and drives the Poles back.

1475: When king Heinrich secularizes and annexes the bistums of Augsburg and Trient for his lands, the HRE falls into a kind of Civil War. All the princes try to annex the clerical lands, which leads to lots of confusion and little wars for said lands, which are subsumed as the Twenty-Year War. The most important of those wars are the Bavarian-Austrian war for Salzburg (1485-93) and the French-Dutch war (1486-91). For some time, there are three kings in the Empire (of Luxembourg, Brandenburg and Geldern respectively).
In the same year, in the bisthums of Würzburg and Münster, millenialist sects take the power, declare the Gottesfreistaat (God's republic - another kind of theocracy). The latter ones even manage to extend their lands during the chaos of the war, deposing some small princes of NW Germany.
The Swiss use the opportunity and conquer the remaining lands of their archenemies, the Habsburgs, in the Black Forest.
And to make the situation even worse, there are peasant uprisings (mostly in western Germany) who feel suppressed by the nobles. Those who can't flee to the territories of the Gottesfreistaaten where they're let in if they only swear to obey God's laws, are brutally suppressed.

1475-95: Germans fleeing from the Twenty-Year War in the HRE, and especially the religious fanatics ruling in Münster, go to the colonies of Braunschweig and the Netherlands.

1477: After defeating millenialist sects, Piero de Medici becomes first duke of Florence.

1481: Printing press with movable letters invented in the free city of Cologne by Jakob Hahn.

1492: King Lajos IV of hungary dies fighting against the Seljuks.

1493: The former monk Karl Koch who read a bit too much about the Roman republic during his time as library assistant in the monastery, starting as a "soap box preacher", declares the "Rheinische Republik" (republic of the Rhine), which is soon defeated by the duke of Jülich-Berg, however.

1495: King Karl V of Luxemburg deposes anti-king Otto of Brandenburg, is accepted as Roman king (better said: nobody complains). Not however in Switzerland and the theocracies of Münster and Würzburg, who have stopped caring about the HRE. The wars are over, but Germany lost about one fifth of its population. It takes them about half a century to recover.

The list of Central European kings 1350-1500:
Holy Roman kings and emperors:

Karl IV of Luxemburg 1347-58 (emperor since 1353)
Albrecht of Saxony 1359-81
Gerhard I of Holstein/Holland 1381-1406 (emperor since 1394)
Gerhard II of Holstein/Holland 1406-30 (emperor since 1418)
Gerhard III of Holland 1430-54 (emperor since 1439)
Ottokar III of Carinthia 1454-59 (and anti-king 1408-13)
Reinald I of Geldern 1459-72
Heinrich VIII of Luxemburg 1472-81
Reinald II of Geldern 1476-92
Otto of Brandenburg 1478-1495 (deposed, +1500)
Karl of Luxemburg 1481-95
Karl V of Luxemburg 1495- (now accepted as king)


Kings of the Netherlands:
Schauenburg dynasty of Holstein
Gerhard / Geeraard I 1419-30
Gerhard / Geeraard II 1430-54

Wassenberg dynasty of Geldern
Reinald I (*1402) 1454-72
Reinald II (*1435) 1472-1492
Reinald III the Old (*1469) 1492-


Kings of Poland:
Wladyslaw IV (*1295) 1331-65
Kazimierz IV (*1321) 1365-71
Wladyslaw V (*1350) 1371-1410
Wladyslaw VI (*1382) 1410/11
Boleslaw VI (*1387) 1411-1447
Wladyslaw VII (*1421) 1447-63
Wladyslaw VIII (*1454) 1463-


Kings of Hungary:
Louis / Lajos II (*1330) 1349-63

Wladyslaw / Ulászló 1363-65
Kazimierz / Kázmér 1365-71

Sigismund / Zsigmond I (*1332) 1371-92
Karl / Károly II (*1363) 1392-14
Sigismund / Zsigmond II (*1392) 1414-1432

Karl v. Hessen / Károly III (*1400) 1432-60

Ludwig v. Bayern-Landshut / Lajos III (*1423) 1460-73
Ludwig / Lajos IV (*1455) 1473-1492
Ludwig / Lajos V (*1479) 1492-


Kings of Naples:
Charles / Carlo III (*1299) 1343-62
(His son Robert / Roberto (*1325) +1356)
Charles / Carlo IV (*1349) 1362-78
Robert / Roberto II (*1374) 1378-1423
Robert / Roberto III (*1406) 1423-36
Charles / Carlo V (*1432) 1436-61
End of state


Kings of Bohemia and Moravia:
Otakar I (*1282) 1322-51
Otakar II (*1301) 1351-64
Vaclav III (*1327) 1364-79
Heinrich (see below) 1379-86

Elective kings:
Jan I 1386-88
Georgy 1388-1424
Prokop I 1424-30
Vaclav IV 1430-71
Jan II 1471-82
Prokop II 1482-95
Prokop III 1495-1500
Georgy II 1500-


Dukes of Carinthia and Austria (since 1493, also of Styria):
Wenzel II (*1308) 1335-72
Heinrich II (*1366, grandson of the former) 1372-95
Ottokar II (*1388) 1395-1459, at the beginning under his mother Margarethe. Later emperor / king.
Heinrich III (*1422) 1459-


Lords of Florence:

Medici family / dynasty:
Giovanni (*1342) 1376-90
Cosimo (* 1354, nephew of the former) 1390-1400
Lorenzo (*1362, another nephew of Giovanni) 1400-42
Ippolito (*1393) 1442-45
Giuliano (*1398) 1445-53
Piero (*1426) 1453-77

Dukes of Florence:
Piero I 1477-79
Giovanni I (*1455) 1479-

[post=652915]Read about the resulting changes (all details) in Germany here[/post]

 

[HelloLegend]

What happened to the colored coded timelines?

 

[Stalker]

Eastern Europe 1300-50:

1320s: In Novgorod, the ushkuiniki (Russian river pirates) don't come into existence, since the stronger Vladimir is too deterring. Instead, the Novgorodians will start to explore Siberia, starting with the Ob river.

1322: Russian princedom of Polozk conquered by Teutonic Order. Parts of the population flee, first to Smolensk, later also to Novgorod, after Smolensk is unwilling / unable to help them. The former princedom is germanized through the centuries, since the Germans still quell to the East. City names in NE Russia like Novopolozk and Nishny Polozk will tell about their wanderings. Polozk itself is later known under the name of Plotzeck.

1323: Serbia invades the crusader states of Epirus and Thessalia, but loses them a few years later again.

1328: Refugees from conquered Constantinople arrive in Russia, settle mostly in Kiev. The city suffers under the loss of trade with Byzantium (it wasn't much left after the resurrection of the Byzantine Empire), but gains importance as a cultural center, thanks to the influx of Byzantine scholars. Later, when a Kievan prince marries a Byzantine noblewoman, and founds schools and libraries to plead her, this will become even more apparent.

1334: Vladimir-Suzdal declares that the metropolitan of Vladimir is the highest authority for Orthodox Christianity. Not everyone agrees with them, though.

1348: Russian princedom of Turom-Pinsk conquered. Similar events: Part of the people flee, end up in Vladimir-Suzdal's sphere of influence, settle in the areas formerly inhabited by Volga Bulgars and Volga Hungarians. Turom becomes the German city of Thurm.

(I've left out various little wars among the princedoms, dynastic marriages, im- and deposing (including murder, sometimes) of princes, and border wars of Russian states with the Teutonic Order, Sweden, Kumans and Volga Bulgars again. Sorry for Western Eurocentrism.)

1) Ushkuiniki should come into existence whenever the Mongos arrive or not. They were, of course, river pirates, but mainly they were proffessional warriors and mercenaries. The merchants often hired them to guard their trade ships. The very notion of "ushkuiniki" derived from "ushkui", the boat. Some researchers, however, derive it from its homonim that means a poar bear. But ushkuiniki firstly and mostly came as response to Swedish, Teutonian and Norse attack of the mouth of Neva-river and Ladoga. And their first reids were against Swedes and Nogwegians. In 1320 someone Luka(s) of Novgorod with his troopers devastated region of Firmarnen along the southern coast of Waranger-fjord up to Tromso. In 1323 the novgorodians attacked Halogaland. It was not the least reason to make Sweden to sign Peace of Orekhovets with Great Novgorod.
2) Max, although you are making a great job on this TL, and I will repeat it over and over again, nonetheess, don't confuse Turov and Murom to get a mixed Turom .
It was Turov-Pinsk Principality.

 

[Max Sinister]

Eastern Europe, 1450-1500

@Stalker: Thanks for your suggestions.

Eastern Europe, 1450-1500:

Since 1450: Various sects pop up in the Russian states, demanding various reforms in the church and a revival of Christian values.

Since 1460: The Russian population has recovered from the Black Death (due to a less densely settled population, a smaller part of the people died than in Western Europe). Peasants looking for land start to settle in neighboring areas: Those from Vladimir-Suzdal go to Siberia (ITTL called Novorossiya, New Russia), those from Kiev and the South in general into OTL Ukraine (which is mostly settled by Kumans now; part of them are Muslims, parts are Catholic or Orthodox Christians, and even paganism hasn't completely died out yet).

1468: A delegation of merchants from Vladimir sends a delegation to the Grand Prince, asking him for help against the competing merchants from Novgorod.

1469-72: War between Vladimir and Novgorod. Novgorod loses the right to trade in the areas east of Volga and Kama - thus being cut off from Novorossiya now.

1470: Tobolsk at Tobol river founded.

1475: Bible translated into Russian by Semyon Michailovich Lomonossov in Ryazan. The religious tensions between Vladimir and the South break up again.

1480s: The "Judaizing" (Jews converted to Christianity now preaching their teachings. Since they're very skilled in theology, thanks to practising with the Talmud, they often defeat the illiterate orthodox popes in debates.) start to appear.

1483-89: Border war between Vladimir and Chernigov. Vladimir wins, keeps the Southern Russian states from expanding east of the Volga.

1490s: After the taxes rise in Old Russia, even more settlers go East and South. This leads to more and more conflicts with the Kumans in the Ukraine.

(I think I may expand TTL Russia's history retroactively later... there was not much to write about now, and information about early Russia is hard to find...)

Read [post=656665]a short discussion here...[/post]

 

[Darkest]

Max Sinister, this is shaping up into a very impressive project. Continue. A lot of unique ideas here (and why not, a huge change is warranted with the lack of a Mongolian Empire). Good job!