I wonder how on earth we're going to fill in the empty wastes of Siberia.
Territory of an incredibly powerful oil extraction company
Collaborative Challenge: Most Confusing Map
- Thread starter Baconheimer
- Start date
Territory of an incredibly powerful oil extraction company
I am planning along your lines, CannedTech, and will thus take France and parts of OTL Spain...
OOC: Hoping this one is up to par with the rest of the maps we've had so far. This one was more difficult than I first thought and was a bit of a challenge. Also, apologies for not getting this up last night but a lot of real life things decided to get in the way.
Anyway, I present to you the fun-fest that is the Norse Union and the Kingdom of Sweden.
The Norse Union is, unlike its name implies, a union in name only. It is closer to either a close alliance with a common currency or a loose confederation. With the death of Olaf Haraldsson in battle, the pagan Jarls decided to unite to resist further attempts at Christianization, choosing one of their own as King. Over time, the Union spread and established permanent settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and eventually re-established the semi-mythical colony of Vinland. Throughout the centuries, the balance of power has shifted between the King and the Jarls. Today, the Jarls have a predominate say in most of the Union's affairs, with the King only having direct control over the Crown lands around Olso and the more uninhabitable parts of Greenland. Due to the power wielded by the Jarls, the Union is quite belligerent and provocative internationally, and have an ongoing border dispute with New England over southwest Vinland [1], with several Jarls secretly funneling weapons to the Scottish rebels in Nova Scotia. At the moment, a much disliked agreement by both sides has led to a joint administration of the disputed lands. This has led to an uneasy peace between the two nations... for now.
The Kingdom of Sweden, on the other hand, had unified and once seemed to be on the verge of dominating the Baltic. Despite early set backs against the Norse Union the Swedes took advantage of the Russian Civil War and Russia's loss of lands to Kievan Bulgaria and the Siberian Khanate totake the Kola Peninsula and much of Karelia. Recently however, the Swedes have been in decline. Having lost all of their lands across the Baltic after several disastrous wars, and years of weak and ineffective Kings, led to the long oppressed Finns declaring independence. Most of southern Finland including Helsinki are in the hands of the Finnish rebels, along with all of Kola and a large area around Oulu. In addition, there are Finnish uprisings and rebellions popping up all throughout the countryside and small cities and towns.
[1] Basically, that peninsula-esque area of OTL Ontario that's between Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario. Tried finding a name for it and found nothing.
Anyway, I present to you the fun-fest that is the Norse Union and the Kingdom of Sweden.
The Norse Union is, unlike its name implies, a union in name only. It is closer to either a close alliance with a common currency or a loose confederation. With the death of Olaf Haraldsson in battle, the pagan Jarls decided to unite to resist further attempts at Christianization, choosing one of their own as King. Over time, the Union spread and established permanent settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and eventually re-established the semi-mythical colony of Vinland. Throughout the centuries, the balance of power has shifted between the King and the Jarls. Today, the Jarls have a predominate say in most of the Union's affairs, with the King only having direct control over the Crown lands around Olso and the more uninhabitable parts of Greenland. Due to the power wielded by the Jarls, the Union is quite belligerent and provocative internationally, and have an ongoing border dispute with New England over southwest Vinland [1], with several Jarls secretly funneling weapons to the Scottish rebels in Nova Scotia. At the moment, a much disliked agreement by both sides has led to a joint administration of the disputed lands. This has led to an uneasy peace between the two nations... for now.
The Kingdom of Sweden, on the other hand, had unified and once seemed to be on the verge of dominating the Baltic. Despite early set backs against the Norse Union the Swedes took advantage of the Russian Civil War and Russia's loss of lands to Kievan Bulgaria and the Siberian Khanate totake the Kola Peninsula and much of Karelia. Recently however, the Swedes have been in decline. Having lost all of their lands across the Baltic after several disastrous wars, and years of weak and ineffective Kings, led to the long oppressed Finns declaring independence. Most of southern Finland including Helsinki are in the hands of the Finnish rebels, along with all of Kola and a large area around Oulu. In addition, there are Finnish uprisings and rebellions popping up all throughout the countryside and small cities and towns.
[1] Basically, that peninsula-esque area of OTL Ontario that's between Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario. Tried finding a name for it and found nothing.
Sorry about that. I tries to minimize those, but this was only my second map ever. Blame it on treaties or lazy administrators if you want.
Also, if anyone wants feel free to clean it up if you think you can improve it.Emperor-of-New-Zealand
Banned
Sorry about that. I tries to minimize those, but this was only my second map ever. Blame it on treaties or lazy administrators if you want.
I did it. Didn't need to change much - just 'curved up' the border between *Norway* and *Sweden*, and added a bit more territory in the west of Vinland to make the border more organic. The internal borders are fine, especially in Greenland where the straight lines make sense.
Thank you. It looks like I was trying/hoping to make. That's what I get for mapmaking at 1 am.
Emperor-of-New-Zealand
Banned
There's no claiming - just make the map, post it, and hope that nobody beats you to it.
I was going to do France, but I'll leave it for you.I present to you: The Riverine Confederation of European Worker's Republics (RCEWR).
Basically, Friedrich Wilhelm III.'s (Napoleon equivalent)'s Empire lasted against the diverse coalitions after the Prussian, and later German, Kaiser successfully, instead of going bananas and invading Russia, sinks the Royal Navy by supporting the Americans(?) against the British in the War of 1812, took over the French channel coast parts (forging an alliance with Aragon) and then invaded the British Isles. This led to the downfall of Britain (result on the map: the diverse autonomies and so on) and to a lasting Mitteleuropäisches Reich and Seineföderation (Federation of the Seine=German equivalent to the Rheinbund). But Russia got stronger and stronger, allied with Austria-Hungary and wanted to get rid of the German menace forever. This plan went terribly wrong in 1835-1847, and Germany was the hegemon of Europe ever after, busily Germanifying the French, Polish and Italian lands... Guess what?
This ended badly, namely in internal revolution and civil war from 1883-1896. And the revolution was an Equalist one. This means, yes, somewhat communist, but it is more the French Revolutionary ideals writ large: Equality, democracy, fair wages, good working conditions, and, that is new, preservation of every culture and religion. Summed up in the Wahlspruch Freiheit, Gleichheit, Brüderlichkeit
And these Equalists led to all the confusion. They demilitarised several zones (Illyria, Poland, the Rhineland, Alsace-Lorraine), established Autonomous Cultural Nations (ACNs) for the Bretons, the Basques, the Catalans, and placed big cities (first only Paris and Berlin, but then further areas) under Special Administration. To honour Friedrich Wilhelm III., Corsica was put under Honourable Special Administration, treated like a city, renamed Friedrich-Wilhelm-Land.
The Papal State area was put under the administration of the Pope, who had to follow all secular laws from Berlin (or at least recognise acts performed under such laws, e.g. the fact that civil marriage is legal), but could dictate all canonical laws. Also, important ports were put under the direct control of the General Secretary of Transport and Trade.
But basically, except for the GSTT-controlled port areas, every area administers itself mostly, but has to adhere to all laws from Paris.
This state has it's own two puppet states: the Worker's Republic of Denmark is an ordinary Equalist state. The Jewish Worker's Republic of the Six Sicilies, however, is a mess in itself. This state came about when, once again, a Russo-Austro-Aragonian (by establishing Basque and Catalan autonomies provisionally, the RCEWR had alienated Aragon who wanted Aragon to reign supreme) Coalition tried to fight the Equalists and get some Lebensraum. Unfortunately, Austria-Hungary was under a certain Adolf Hilter who was extremely antisemitic and wanted to kill all Jews on the Earth by means of Genocide. Aragon was under no better a leader with a certain Javier Hernandez Torres. The RCEWR, as the Equalists called their state, was allied with the (rump? Ottoman Empire, Mexico and New Poland.
Not only did many Jews remain or flee to Salonica during the war, but also to the RCEWR many sought asylum. After that war which was disastrously lost by Austria-Hungary, Torres's Aragon and Russia, the RCEWR gave it's southern puppet state to the Jews. The Basque, Occitan and Catalan autonomous zones were reinstated in their "proper" places.
By now, the Six Sicilies are a Jew-Apartheid dictatorship which massively "encourages" (sometimes forces) Aliyat onto it's fellow Jews; with only few and barely habitable "Autonomous Nations" (read: Bantustans) for the originally native Italians and Muslim Arabs.
The rebellions in the RCEWR are of newer date, and come from three groups: Polish nationalists want to finally reestablish their homeland where it once was, autonomy for them (which they do have) is not enough. These occasional attacks or riots are taking place again since the 1980s. Militarist extremists have recently cropped up since the 1970s, their thinking being that to remain great, the RCEWR must not go down the route of pacifism, but that of war and whose dream and first act it would be to remilitarise the DMZs. These have recently committed various terrorist attacks on government officials and rioted in several major cities. Last, but not least, there are Catholic ultra-extremist rebels (since the huge revival of Catholicism in the southern RCEWR in the 60s and 70s) in the PSAZ (Papal Special Administration Zone) who want to establish, in the best case, a vast Catholic Empire, but whose first aim it is to have the Papal states secede.
To make it worse, Austria or what remained of it after *WWII claims the Saxon and Silesian EWRs and supports the Catholic extremists.
Basically, Friedrich Wilhelm III.'s (Napoleon equivalent)'s Empire lasted against the diverse coalitions after the Prussian, and later German, Kaiser successfully, instead of going bananas and invading Russia, sinks the Royal Navy by supporting the Americans(?) against the British in the War of 1812, took over the French channel coast parts (forging an alliance with Aragon) and then invaded the British Isles. This led to the downfall of Britain (result on the map: the diverse autonomies and so on) and to a lasting Mitteleuropäisches Reich and Seineföderation (Federation of the Seine=German equivalent to the Rheinbund). But Russia got stronger and stronger, allied with Austria-Hungary and wanted to get rid of the German menace forever. This plan went terribly wrong in 1835-1847, and Germany was the hegemon of Europe ever after, busily Germanifying the French, Polish and Italian lands... Guess what?
This ended badly, namely in internal revolution and civil war from 1883-1896. And the revolution was an Equalist one. This means, yes, somewhat communist, but it is more the French Revolutionary ideals writ large: Equality, democracy, fair wages, good working conditions, and, that is new, preservation of every culture and religion. Summed up in the Wahlspruch Freiheit, Gleichheit, Brüderlichkeit
And these Equalists led to all the confusion. They demilitarised several zones (Illyria, Poland, the Rhineland, Alsace-Lorraine), established Autonomous Cultural Nations (ACNs) for the Bretons, the Basques, the Catalans, and placed big cities (first only Paris and Berlin, but then further areas) under Special Administration. To honour Friedrich Wilhelm III., Corsica was put under Honourable Special Administration, treated like a city, renamed Friedrich-Wilhelm-Land.
The Papal State area was put under the administration of the Pope, who had to follow all secular laws from Berlin (or at least recognise acts performed under such laws, e.g. the fact that civil marriage is legal), but could dictate all canonical laws. Also, important ports were put under the direct control of the General Secretary of Transport and Trade.
But basically, except for the GSTT-controlled port areas, every area administers itself mostly, but has to adhere to all laws from Paris.
This state has it's own two puppet states: the Worker's Republic of Denmark is an ordinary Equalist state. The Jewish Worker's Republic of the Six Sicilies, however, is a mess in itself. This state came about when, once again, a Russo-Austro-Aragonian (by establishing Basque and Catalan autonomies provisionally, the RCEWR had alienated Aragon who wanted Aragon to reign supreme) Coalition tried to fight the Equalists and get some Lebensraum. Unfortunately, Austria-Hungary was under a certain Adolf Hilter who was extremely antisemitic and wanted to kill all Jews on the Earth by means of Genocide. Aragon was under no better a leader with a certain Javier Hernandez Torres. The RCEWR, as the Equalists called their state, was allied with the (rump? Ottoman Empire, Mexico and New Poland.
Not only did many Jews remain or flee to Salonica during the war, but also to the RCEWR many sought asylum. After that war which was disastrously lost by Austria-Hungary, Torres's Aragon and Russia, the RCEWR gave it's southern puppet state to the Jews. The Basque, Occitan and Catalan autonomous zones were reinstated in their "proper" places.
By now, the Six Sicilies are a Jew-Apartheid dictatorship which massively "encourages" (sometimes forces) Aliyat onto it's fellow Jews; with only few and barely habitable "Autonomous Nations" (read: Bantustans) for the originally native Italians and Muslim Arabs.
The rebellions in the RCEWR are of newer date, and come from three groups: Polish nationalists want to finally reestablish their homeland where it once was, autonomy for them (which they do have) is not enough. These occasional attacks or riots are taking place again since the 1980s. Militarist extremists have recently cropped up since the 1970s, their thinking being that to remain great, the RCEWR must not go down the route of pacifism, but that of war and whose dream and first act it would be to remilitarise the DMZs. These have recently committed various terrorist attacks on government officials and rioted in several major cities. Last, but not least, there are Catholic ultra-extremist rebels (since the huge revival of Catholicism in the southern RCEWR in the 60s and 70s) in the PSAZ (Papal Special Administration Zone) who want to establish, in the best case, a vast Catholic Empire, but whose first aim it is to have the Papal states secede.
To make it worse, Austria or what remained of it after *WWII claims the Saxon and Silesian EWRs and supports the Catholic extremists.
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Emperor-of-New-Zealand
Banned
Thank you. It looks like I was trying/hoping to make. That's what I get for mapmaking at 1 am.
It's all good. You did remarkably well for a newcomer. Usually new mapmakers fail to even keep the borders one-pixel thick on these Worlda maps.
Snippity snip - beaten to it!
But that's how the game is played.Emperor-of-New-Zealand
Banned
Well, here's the map again anyway, but since PiratePartyist missed out AgentofShield's bits, I combined them:
Emperor-of-New-Zealand
Banned
Wasn't it always?
The idea was to make the most confusing map possible, which is obviously going to be ASB.
This Aragon thing, as far as I understood (but I didn't read all), was around the 1540s. And then, France went resurgent in the 18th/19th century. Or what did you think for New Gascony?
Gian
Banned
This was what I had for New Gascony:
The Crown of New Gascony
Koroń d'Nowa Gaskuńa
Koroń d'Nowa Gaskuńa
After a successful expedition by Fiernan d'Magieľanyz[1], the Aragonese Crown began a wave a conquest of the East Indies, that brought most of the Carolian Islands[2] under Aragonese control, with the rest subordinated as foederati (allied states under the suzerainty of the King of Aragon). Around the 1790s, the Aragonese, while settling its own peoples (mostly from Catalonia, Guyenne, Gascony, and Lengadoc), get an unexpected new form of migrants: Poles fleeing the mass persecutions following the Partitions between Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Around 1820, the peoples of the Aragonese East Indies declared independence (as the Empire of New Gascony), with the suzerains of the foederati were "encouraged" (read:forced) to recognize their new sovereign. Over time, huge waves of immigrants, like Irishmen fleeing the famine and oppession in the 1840s, persecuted Jews from all over Europe, Slavs from the pesecutive Austrian Empire, and Icelanders fleeing ruinous volcanic eruptions in their homeland, came to the country and a new hybrid culture (mixing Catalano-Occitan, Slavic, Celtic, and Malayo-Polynesian) soon emerged.
Today, this country has become the undisputed master of the Western Pacific (though Japan and China are fast becoming competitors). Under the rule of Emperor Dźosip II[3], this Empire is more prosperous than some of the Asian states that line its maritime boundaries. And even now, other states in the archipelago, like Java, Yogyakarta, Siak, Djambi, and Atjeh are on the fast-track to becoming foederati themselves.
Novegascon Language (lingwa nowegaskuń)
An Occitano-Romance language, it is a fusional dialect of Catalan and Occitan, with Polish and other (especially Malayic, Ryukyuan, and Polynesian) influences. It is written in a Polish-based latin alphabet.
The foederati
The foederati are semi-independent entities each ruled by a native ruler with a governor-general appointed in the name of the Emperor. Each foederatus have widespread autonomy and can handle their own domestic affairs. In practice, they are treated as part of New Gascony, and Novegascon law often applies here as well.
Most are ruled by native rulers, unless otherwise noted
List of foederati
Carolia, Formosa, and Ryukyu
-Kingdom of Rzuczu
-Kingdom of Atajal
-Principality of Iraja
Sulawes Minór and Bôrniew
-Sultanate of Magidanaw
-Sultanate of Sulu
-Sultanate of Sambuanga
-Sultanate of Brunej
-Sultanate of Kutaj
-Sultanate of Bandžermazyn
-Sultanate of Kalimantan
-Kingdom of Sarawak - a state ruled by the "White Raźas" (currently Źórdi III) of the Brooke Family, it is mostly populated by Occitans and Slavs (mostly Poles, Czechs, and Ukrainians)
-Principality of Lanfang - ruled by the descendants of Luo Fangbo, it is now heavily Sinicized
-Grand Duchy of New Zion (Nowy-Syjon) - a homeland of the Jewish people in Borneo. It is an alternative to the Thesallonican Jewish State
Sulawes Majór, Maluku and New Guinea
-Sultanate of Sulawes
-Sultanate of Goróntalu - Though nominally ruled by a Malay sultan, in practise, it is mainly populated by Irishmen and Croats
-Kingdom of Maluku - Poles and Icelanders make up the majority of all the non-Malay settlers there.
-Grand Duchy of Papua
Polynesia
-Duchy of Belaw
-Duchy of Sajpan
-Duchy of Czuk
-Duchy of Jap
-Duchy of Ponpej
-Duchy of Koszaej
-Kingdom of Hawaj (Hawaii)
------------------------------
Essentialy an Aragon that's so strong (and has a coast and port in the Atlantic) to have effectively colonized parts of the globe, including the East Indies (where New Gascony is)
Probably very well. Granted, they'll always argue over who is the true and proper Israel, but I think other than that they'll get along fine. Hell, we have two Polands (plus New Gascony which uses the Polish Latin alphabet). All in all, I'd say we're doing a damn fine job of making the most confusing map possible.