Explain the AH Quote

[Declan]

Well I was already working on this so...

"I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can prove nothing. Even the Pope says I'm innocent."

A quote by Harold Wilcox, 3rd Duke of Buntington before parliament when inquired about the death of King Henry VIII.
Wilcox was the entrusted to care for Dorothy Hempton, who was romantically linked with the King. After a brief courtship with Anne Boleyn, he had become infatuated with Dorothy. Henry was in the process of annulling his marriage to Catherine to wed Dorothy. Henry was oblivious to Wilcox's not so secret opposition to the annulment. Not only that, but his dislike of the Reformation elsewhere in Europe. A Reformation, he could see Henry would bring to England to enable his plans. In public though, he acquiesced to the King and his marital plans.

On April 2nd, 1533, just a month until the annulment proceedings would begin, Wilcox scheduled a meeting with Henry on the pretense of having him meet with Dorothy to begin marital preparations. Due to the nature of the meeting, Henry dismissed his guards. There would be no meeting; Wilcox would ran out, crying that the King had collapsed. Wilcox took charge, refused to allow the king's guards entry, used his own men to secure the scene. Afterwards, Henry was declared dead. Wilcox guarded the body and had it hastily buried the next day. Only Catherine, as his still legal wife, was allowed to view and confirm his identity.

Wilcox's bizarre behaviour in addition to the fact Dorothy was not even at the location, lead many to suspect Wilcox had murdered Henry. With a tense situation and sensing a need of decisive action, the pope dispatched a team to lead an inquiry, which concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Wilcox.
He was then put before Parliament. In a narrow vote, parliament decided not to bring charges. But Wilcox left London to avoid the pressure.

One year later, Mary would be coronated as Queen. She would issue a pardon to Wilcox and welcomed him back. Thus, England remain loyal to the Pope.

“He already had experience in Vietnam, having fought in the war there. And now the 40-year-old American mercenary and his team found themselves returning to the country, this time with great plans for it - plans he intended to put into motion soon. But first he had the country’s communist government to deal with.”

A non spoiler review from the New York Times for the film Rambo:Vengeance(1992).
In this film, the socialist, unified Vietnam breaks out into civil war. Rambo, then a mercenary, was hired along with his team to help train the rebels. But, eventually, he ended up settling an old score with the communists. The climax of the movie being a seat gripping shootout in which the hardline premier, is assassinated. Afterwards, the government begins peacetalks.

My quote:
"I'm only trespassing in this royal palace if the owner, the Kaiser, tells me I am unwelcome. I look around the rooms here and I don't see any Kaiser. Especially, not in you; not anymore."

 

[Basileus_Komnenos]

"Of course I'm going to be an autocrat, heck the Senate and People have all consented to it. The Army is practically demanding it. As for your Constitution, and aspirations of Restoring the Republic, well ... if I must be frank, it was always a pipe-dream of yours old friend. No one ever took that worthless piece of paper seriously, not me nor even my rivals from the civil war we just fought. After all where's the fun in being a Basileus if you can't Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans? That defeats whole the point of it all. Now come and join me in the Hagia Sofia and you can watch as the Patriarch crowns me."

 

[imperiusdamian]

"Of course I'm going to be an autocrat, heck the Senate and People have all consented to it. The Army is practically demanding it. As for your Constitution, and aspirations of Restoring the Republic, well ... if I must be frank, it was always a pipe-dream of yours old friend. No one ever took that worthless piece of paper seriously, not me nor even my rivals from the civil war we just fought. After all where's the fun in being a Basileus if you can't Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans? That defeats whole the point of it all. Now come and join me in the Hagia Sofia and you can watch as the Patriarch crowns me."

In 1748 the successful Greek Revolution retook Constantinople from the Turks, following which a heated debate arose between the Revolutionary leaders as to what form of governance would follow.

Alexios Papponos, General of the Revolution, espoused the establishment of a new Republic modelled on the Roman fashion, with a written Constitution and two coeval Consuls.

The opposing party, led by Demetrios Karillos, sought to restore the Eastern Empire under a new Basileos, with the ultimate intent of reclaiming the Imperial borders.

Ultimately in 1752 a settlement was reached whereby Demetrios would be crowned Basileos and Autokrator, while the Senate would also serve, albeit in an advisory role.

Crowned in 1753, Demetrios I Karillos proved a popular and successful Emperor and under his successors, by 1824 the Easteen Empire was able to reduce the Ottomans to a rump.state based out of Egypt.

"For two thousand years we have suffered under foreigners. No more. We are not Greeks. We are not Romans. We are not Christians or Muslims, Arabs or Mamluks. We are Egyptians, and we will have no more foreign powers in our land whether rulers or religions. We will have an Egyptian King and Egyptian Gods in the land of Egypt."

 

[Plus-Sized Scribe]

"For two thousand years we have suffered under foreigners. No more. We are not Greeks. We are not Romans. We are not Christians or Muslims, Arabs or Mamluks. We are Egyptians, and we will have no more foreign powers in our land whether rulers or religions. We will have an Egyptian King and Egyptian Gods in the land of Egypt."

Egyptian leader Bobicus Smithian in the year 26184 after millennia of occupation by various factions claiming to be the "second coming" of former Earth powers. Mx. Smithian's legendary independence speech ended with the above paragraph, to rapturous applause from the assembled human, dolphin, Martian, and robot-adjacent Egyptians.

"Listen, you see that guy over there? That's Akbar 'The Thickness' Burhan. He's head of organized crime in this city and he wants you dead. If I were you, I'd hustle home, pack a bag, and run like hell."

 

[Pragmatic Progressive]

"I'm only trespassing in this royal palace if the owner, the Kaiser, tells me I am unwelcome. I look around the rooms here and I don't see any Kaiser. Especially, not in you; not anymore."

Esteemed far-left lawyer and revolutionary Matthias Schmidt as the Kaiser - who had not yet formally abdicated - is left alone in the royal palace at Sanssouci near Berlin, wanting to rule a country which de facto no longer exists. The Kaiser "ordered" to have Schmidt arrested for trespassing, but even security guards were no longer in their positions as, minutes later, the Kaiser would be forced to read out his declaration of abdication and communist/Spartacist revolutionaries would take control of Berlin in June 1919. Thus, Germany would become the first communist nation as the DDRR (Deutsche Demokratische Räterepubliken) ("German Democratic Council Republics") was proclaimed - and, surprisingly, remained rather stable.

"Wow, this animal survived into the Holocene, maybe even the Anthropocene!"

 

[Railmotive]

"Wow, this animal survived into the Holocene, maybe even the Anthropocene!"

A quote from an octarian scientist after looking over Judd, the last surviving mammal on earth. At the time it was unknown whether they had existed before or during the Anthropecene period though it was later confirmed that they were around during the time of humanity.

"The Republic will be reorganised into the First Galactic empire, for a safe and secure society".

 

[AkhenatenOrRamses]

A quote from an octarian scientist after looking over Judd, the last surviving mammal on earth. At the time it was unknown whether they had existed before or during the Anthropecene period though it was later confirmed that they were around during the time of humanity.

"The Republic will be reorganised into the First Galactic empire, for a safe and secure society".

Excerpt from a speech given by Elliot Kent, a mentally ill man who in 1970 managed to enter the US Capital building undisturbed and spoke from an empty floor for ten minutes until he was discovered and arrested for trespassing. Kent was influenced by major sci-fi works such as Foundation and Dune when giving his speech.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

 

[modelcitizen]

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

These were Dutch resistance leader Colonel Margaretha Geertruida "Mata Hari" MacLeod's last words in 1947.


"Right, what's a war hero got to do to get some lubrication around here?"

 

[Pragmatic Progressive]

Excerpt from a speech given by Elliot Kent, a mentally ill man who in 1970 managed to enter the US Capital building undisturbed and spoke from an empty floor for ten minutes until he was discovered and arrested for trespassing. Kent was influenced by major sci-fi works such as Foundation and Dune when giving his speech.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

A recruiting officer said this to ultra-Calvinist far-right applicant Peter Engelaar while applying for the "Stormtroopers". Founded as a special operations unit of the FBI by President Joseph McCarthy (1957-1991), who was a much more moderate drinker ITTL, during the Red Scare, it developed into a full-blown secret police unit and has been compared to the SA, SS or Gestapo of Nazi Germany,
The even more intense Red Scare, which brought Joseph McCarthy into the office of President, was caused by the victories of North Korea in the Korean War - with Kim Il Sung leading the Democratic Republic of Korea -, communist election victories in Italy and France as well as the loss of not only Cuba, but Haiti during a civil war aginst the Duvalier dictatorship to communism, soon followed by a revolution against Rafael Trujillo and his cronies in the Dominican Republic.
Joseph McCarthy at first kept democracy intact and was reelected in free and fair eleections in 1960, having successfully launched far-right reactionary copu d'état in France and supported the far-right in Italy. The Cuban Missile Crisis did not take place as even the Soviets knew McCarthy would probably start World War III if missiles were placed less than 200 miles from Miami. Instead, Cuba was invaded by the full force of the US Armed Forces in September 1962...
McCarthy had massively intervened in Indochina on South Vietnam's side against the Vietcong, but additionally, after the failed military coup of 1962 in Myanmar, sent troops into Myanmar to support the military junta.

But by 1964, he was supposed to be term limited - and mass protests and demonstrations were taking place all over America, from African-Americans demanding their civil and voting rights to students protesting the draft and McCarthy's ultra-hawkish interventionism. After he declared a national emergency due to "the plausible threats to national security and integrity posed by communist subversion or other interference", all states were expected to follow - but Michigan, New York and notably California refused among others. This led McCarthy to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807. During this national emergency, the 22nd amendment was abolished with state ratification coerced out of the states at the threat of using the National Guard and/or the military against them. In 1965, African-Americans were granted their civil rights at least nominally, but it was made clear that protests and especially youth and student movements would be crushed or, if not that, subverted. November 1965 saw McCarthy reelected in an election that can only be called semi-free and semi-fair. After this election, in 1966, constitutional amendment was promulgated granting the President wide-ranging emergency powers, including the power to void consitutional amendments not contained in the Bill of Rights. McCarthy's popularity resurged after victories in the civil wars in Myanmar, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but he increasingly ruled the USA in an authoritarian manner not unlike Chiang Kai-shek ruled Taiwan or the authoritarian, avidly anti-communist governments of OTL South Korea under Chang Myon and Park Chung-hee.
The 1968 elections still were semi-free, but protests, labour conflicts and even riots did not cease. Thus, in the early 1970s, McCarthy became even more authoritarian, expanding emergenc powers and slowly, but surely, transforming what was a state of emergency into permanent laws, decrees and rules. When the Supreme Court in 1972 ruled several of his actions unconstitutional, he also packed the Supreme Court, eliminating one of the last bastions of formal opposition.
After a raid in 1976, an election year where all other parties (mainly the Democratic Party) had agreed on elder statesman Charles F. Brannan to run as the sole opposition candidate, uncovered past and present "collaboration with domestic and foreign communists", McCarthy had the Democratic Party illegalised shortly before the election and from this point onwards, only independent candidates and some minor, loose "parties" which were closer to alliances were permitted to run presidential candidates. Although he always kept the four-year cycle of elections intact and never was the sole candidate, McCarthy became the autocratic ruler of the United States of America - at the latest by 1976. For the 200 year anniversary of independence in 1983, a totally new constitution -adapted to McCarthyism and explicitly mentioning "communism and socialism" as threats, but not all that different up front - was passed at a nationally celebrated Constitutional Convention.

Despite all authoritarianism, McCarthy's economic policies were rather non-interventionist and during his long term, he promulgated several notable advances like a nationally funded, state-level single payer healthcare system for all Americans, wide-ranging asylum for those persecuted by left-wing to far-left regimes and reliable support on a state level in case of joblessness and sickness.

When McCarthy died in office in 1991, Peter Engelaar, the Stormtrooper applicant who only narrowly was accepted but who had risen through the ranks slowly, but surely, seamlessly took power, continuing American authoritarianism into the 21st century.

"The Soviet Union can fall, Communism can fall, every communist regime can fall, but the Red Scare must live on!"

 

[CarlosTheAltHistoryGuy]

"The Soviet Union can fall, Communism can fall, every communist regime can fall, but the Red Scare must live on!"

A quote from President Engelaar's inauguration, signaling to dissidents and collaborators alike that nothing substantial would change in the United States in the near future.

"Help reelect President Bush this November 2nd! Lest Khamenei and his crew beat us and our allies!"

 

[Kevin C. Smith]

"Right, what's a war hero got to do to get some lubrication around here?"

Last words of Lt. Henry K. Hollingsworth, who was awarded two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, and a Medal of Honor for various action in the first and second Gulf Wars, before falling into the service pit at a local Jiffy Lube.

 

[MultiplePOD]

A quote from President Engelaar's inauguration, signaling to dissidents and collaborators alike that nothing substantial would change in the United States in the near future.

"Help reelect President Bush this November 2nd! Lest Khamenei and his crew beat us and our allies!"

Bush vs. the Axis of Evil, but George W. Bush is both less competent and less humble. Rather that defeating Iran in time to not run in 2004, he doesn't defeat Iran and does run in '04. His campaign strategy: we're at war, what are you going to do, not vote for me? It's really not a great plan.

"I don't care what happens down in the rainforest. If there's an isolated new community there that doesn't recognize our sovereignty, then let them do with themselves as they please. After all, it's not like we're losing anything."

 

[Plateosaurus]

"I don't care what happens down in the rainforest. If there's an isolated new community there that doesn't recognize our sovereignty, then let them do with themselves as they please. After all, it's not like we're losing anything."

Walloon Republic leader Jules Destrée speaking on the Congo's decolonisation efforts in the way of the Ostend Uprising that splitted and removed the Belgian Monarchy.

"The Decree at Emesa was basically a sequel hook to the story of the Franco-Mongol Alliance, where after defeating the Caliphates, France went 'Well, now what?' and Mongols said 'You know, we got this problem out east. Wanna help me out with it?' and France said 'Why not?'"

 

[Rafi_T]

You forgot a quote for us to continue

My bad.

“After Louis of France wed Eleanor of Brittany in the year of our Lord 1201, the fate of the Kingdom of Scotland was sealed, but the more hopeful expected the kingdom to have at least a two centuries before it was subjugated, their optimism was ill placed, for circumstance would have the Scots absorbed into the kingdom far sooner, for less than a century later, Margaret, Maid of Norway has married another Louis of France. With their marriage in the year of our Lord 1299, and the heirless death of her grandfather, Alexander III of Scotland that very day, the succession to the throne was clear: whatever child they had would rule the kingdoms in a personal union. It seems God smiles upon the Capets, and they proudly smile back, and there seems no way to humble them.”

 

[imperiusdamian]

My bad.

“After Louis of France wed Eleanor of Brittany in the year of our Lord 1201, the fate of the Kingdom of Scotland was sealed, but the more hopeful expected the kingdom to have at least a two centuries before it was subjugated, their optimism was ill placed, for circumstance would have the Scots absorbed into the kingdom far sooner, for less than a century later, Margaret, Maid of Norway has married another Louis of France. With their marriage in the year of our Lord 1299, and the heirless death of her grandfather, Alexander III of Scotland that very day, the succession to the throne was clear: whatever child they had would rule the kingdoms in a personal union. It seems God smiles upon the Capets, and they proudly smile back, and there seems no way to humble them.”

An excerpt from The Curious Relations of Britain and France, written in 1328 by English monk and chronicler Alfric of Bristol. It would be only a dozen years after Alfric's chronicle that Scotland and France were at war with each other, with England seemingly the only party that would benefit.

"Locusts! They'll destroy Italy, unless it stands alone! It's too soon! Italy must not join the European Union! If it does, it will be destroyed!"

 

[Rafi_T]

An excerpt from The Curious Relations of Britain and France, written in 1328 by English monk and chronicler Alfric of Bristol. It would be only a dozen years after Alfric's chronicle that Scotland and France were at war with each other, with England seemingly the only party that would benefit.

"Locusts! They'll destroy Italy, unless it stands alone! It's too soon! Italy must not join the European Union! If it does, it will be destroyed!"

(Curious what led you to this explanation, love the idea of an English monk chronicling this. Don’t understand why France and Scotland would go to war if they’re in a personal union tho. Especially since a marriage between Louis (VIII) of France and Eleanor of Brittany would unite the thrones of England and France, while the marriage between Louis (X) of France (and England) and Margaret, Maid of Norway would unite Scotland with them, so it’s all the same ruler, especially once Louis and Margaret have a child.)

- Excerpt from a speech by a hyper-nationalist candidate for Parliament in Italy, who was quickly laughed at since Italy had been a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, forty years before the signing of the Maastricht Treaty which transformed the myriad organizations of Europe into the much believed European Union.

(Published in a UK pro-EU blog in an article titled “Silliest Objections to the European Union” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UK joining the European Economic Community in 1961.)

 

[imperiusdamian]

(Curious what led you to this explanation, love the idea of an English monk chronicling this. Don’t understand why France and Scotland would go to war if they’re in a personal union tho. Especially since a marriage between Louis (VIII) of France and Eleanor of Brittany would unite the thrones of England and France, while the marriage between Louis (X) of France (and England) and Margaret, Maid of Norway would unite Scotland with them, so it’s all the same ruler, especially once Louis and
Margaret have a child.)

I was thinking it would be a Wars of the Roses style dynastic struggle. Or maybe more like Henry II's sons' rebellion against him. Margaret and Louis had twin sons born minutes apart and as they grew up English spies increasingly played them off against each other... 😉

 

[Rafi_T]

(Curious what led you to this explanation, love the idea of an English monk chronicling this. Don’t understand why France and Scotland would go to war if they’re in a personal union tho. Especially since a marriage between Louis (VIII) of France and Eleanor of Brittany would unite the thrones of England and France, while the marriage between Louis (X) of France (and England) and Margaret, Maid of Norway would unite Scotland with them, so it’s all the same ruler, especially once Louis and Margaret have a child.)

- Excerpt from a speech by a hyper-nationalist candidate for Parliament in Italy, who was quickly laughed at since Italy had been a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, forty years before the signing of the Maastricht Treaty which transformed the myriad organizations of Europe into the much believed European Union.

(Published in a UK pro-EU blog in an article titled “Silliest Objections to the European Union” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UK joining the European Economic Community in 1961.)

Forgot a quote again, oops.

“It was in Hiram Ulysses Grant’s third term that one of his most consequential acts as President occurred, his appointment of New York Senator Roscoe Conkling as Chief Justice to the Supreme Court in 1873 after the death of Salmon Chase. Conkling would go on to serve on the Court until his death in 1910, when he was replaced with William Howard Taft who had served in the Court since 1889. The importance of Conkling’s appointment came during president Grant’s last term when the 1870 Civil Rights Act from Senator Charles Sumner was challenged in 1883, when Chief Justice Conkling fully endorsed Justice John Marshall Harlan’s opinion. Conkling had already proved his usefulness to the cause of Radical Reconstruction when at the tail end of Grant’s third term, he endorsed Justice Harlan’s decision in the Cruikshank case in 1876, which while rescinding the indictments due to being worded too vaguely to allow the defendants to prepare an effective defense, he held that section five of the 14th Amendment vested the federal government with the power to legislate the actions of individuals who restrict the constitutional rights of others.”

“Filled with other successes in his administration, Grant held to his death in 1890 that his appointment of Roscoe Conkling was perhaps the greatest service he rendered to his country after the war.and that I was able to do perhaps my greatest service to this country since the war, comparing the importance of Conkling’s presence on the Court to the capture of Richmond and Vicksburg in 1862. It was, in this regard that the Imperial Presidency had assured its legitimacy and its legacy for future generations, and that the Era of the Rule of the Radical Republicans was well and truly cemented into the American Conscience, rather than sacrificed on the altar of appeasement to treason for the sake of an artificial national unity.”

 

[CountDVB]

"The Decree at Emesa was basically a sequel hook to the story of the Franco-Mongol Alliance, where after defeating the Caliphates, France went 'Well, now what?' and Mongols said 'You know, we got this problem out east. Wanna help me out with it?' and France said 'Why not?'"

A line discussing the evolution of relations between the French Empire and the Mongol Khaganate, from a popular Youtube series discussing unusual facts about history, with the theme of this season being unusual alliances. The previous episode discussed on how the French Empire would seek the aid of the Mongol Khagante in taking down the Twin Caliphates over in the Middle East, a Shia one centered in Persia and a Sunni one centered over in Anatolia. Both nations had various reasons to go for this. The first one was religion. The Mongol Khaganate would be formed when a Christian noble of the Crimean Khanate would depose his relatives and make Christianity the law of the land. With aid from Europe, they would begin fighting against the other Islamic hordes and push to unite over with the Northern Yuan. The goal was to unite the Mongol peoples once more. Eventually, they succeeded forming the Mongol Khaganate. Honoring their deal, they would not trouble the Christian nations though they would also be busy in various coup attempts and strife. Eventually, this calmed down with the solidification of a new branch of Oriental Orthodox Christianity, heavily influenced by Buddhism. The Mongol Khaganate would also claim the land east of the Ural Mountains, seperating them from the Ruthenian Hetmanate and Republic of Great Novgorod.

However, they would also be suffering under the Turks of Anatolia (a historical enemy as the Khaganate would re-Mongolize themselves) and also Persa. They would get their chance to wipe them out when Napoleon, Emperor of France, approached them with a proposition. To take down their mutual enemy in a two-sided attack. This was the result of Napoleon's journey into Egypt being attacked. And so thus, the Twin Caliphates would be crushed under the Mongol forces and the Napoleonic alliance. The whole thing was declared a victory for Christiandom. The line mentioned opened up with the Decree of Emesa, where the French and Mongols solidified their alliance over with the Mongols trying to go and put down the Qing, which the French agreed to, exploiting their modern new fleet.

After several long years of war, the Qing would collapse into various states, with the French and Mongols victorious once more. The Mongols would begin to centralize while establishing Dzungaria and Manchuria as client states/vassals along with restoring self-rule to Korea in exchange for an alliance. The French meanwhile got wealthy from Chinese products. However, the victory would force the Mongols to hold back from global affairs while the French Empire would decline and fall with Napoleon. However, the legacy goes on with the surprising and longlasting friendship betwee the Mongols and the French. Additionally, their victories forced the defeated nations to adapt to the changing times. The House of Hashemite would establish itself as the new Caliphate by uniting Arabia though conflicts and with surprsing aid over from the Italians. Meanwhile, the Qing's defeat would force China to modernize under a restored House of Zhu and creating the modern dynasty in the Chinese Empire, who would become a close ally of the United States.

"The Kingdom of Two Sicilies' influence on northern Africa is more profound than one things. And it all started when they took Ottoman Tripolitania to serve as a colony for the Maltese..."

 

[Plus-Sized Scribe]

Egyptian leader Bobicus Smithian in the year 26184 after millennia of occupation by various factions claiming to be the "second coming" of former Earth powers. Mx. Smithian's legendary independence speech ended with the above paragraph, to rapturous applause from the assembled human, dolphin, Martian, and robot-adjacent Egyptians.

"Listen, you see that guy over there? That's Akbar 'The Thickness' Burhan. He's head of organized crime in this city and he wants you dead. If I were you, I'd hustle home, pack a bag, and run like hell."

So, I get this was silly and not the highest-effort reply, but I must say that getting passed over is insulting.