As you all know, England conquered Scotland in the early 14th century, unifying the British isles into a single power which still exists today. The English went on to be the first to discover and colonize the Americas.
but what if that never happened and Scotland remained independent?
Don't forget the great city of Nieuw Amsterdam, which officially speaks Nederlands, though de facto has their unique Amerikaans-Nederlands dialect, but is very accomadating to their English trading with whom they share their ancestral pond called the North Sea.
Yep. I've been to New Amsterdam myself and there's lots of great things to do there.
Sin and vice and vice and sin -- Best place to get bud in the whole world.
Why wouldn't the English be able to conquer Scotland?
Yes, it was lucky that England had three fantastic kings starting with Edward I, but how much difference did they really make? Even if you get a dud ruler, England has so many advantages in men, and money.
I suppose you could delay it. Maybe distract England in Ireland, or France. Maybe if that damp squib of a 'rebellion' in Wales back in the 1290s had actually had some legs, then it might keep Edward busy elsewhere.England taking over Scotland does seem like an unavoidable event, but I wonder how long it could have been put off for?
Oh yeah, definitely......though Montreal's not half bad in regards to pot, either.
Also, I've noticed just how diverse N.A. really is. There's not only many African-descended people, but there's also people of Turkish, Chinese, Indian, Syriac, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Norwegian, and even a few of Italian(mainly Sicilian) and Native American extraction, not to mention the million or so Jewish people, amongst about four dozen other nationalities of this city of about 11 million people.
Yes, it was lucky that England had three fantastic kings starting with Edward I, but how much difference did they really make? Even if you get a dud ruler, England has so many advantages in men, and money.
OOC: I really want to sig this, thoroughly out of context...They only way I can see Scotland surviving is by divine intervention
would England have still discovered the Americas first? If not, which country would have been most likely to discover it?
Did they IOTL? I don't think so... I mean, didn't the Vikings get there first? And ITTL, with an independent Scotland, wouldn't they have been best placed to follow the same path the Vikings took, via Greenland and Newfoundland? After all, that's the path the English took, isn't it? Wasn't the original expedition supposed to have passed through the Irish Channel along the way, making a stop in the Firth of Clyde before setting out across the Atlantic?
would England have still discovered the Americas first? If not, which country would have been most likely to discover it?
Honestly, I doubt it. In order to get an Independent Scotland you'd have to give England dud leaders for most of the 14th century, who would probably leave England financially poor and possibly a misguided attempt to claim France*. Hell even OTL it was a near run thing. The English Crown was really on the fence about funding that expedition until the last minute.
OOC: *I assume a English Conquest of Scotland would butterfly the HYW.