Good King George - A Republican Britain and a Monarchist America

[Lewie]

Good King George​

"The so-called Good King George III of Great Britain, Ireland and latterly America came to the throne with great ambition and a desire to rule, a trait of quiet absolutism that was quickly forced down as he grappled with his place as an increasingly constitutional monarch. But this streak of wilfulness never truly left the man and had it no been for a fateful meeting with lauded American polymath Benjamin Franklin, it might have remained merely a dormant one. Through him, he would introduce the King to several thinkers who argued that a Monarch, while limited by the people's will, should act when required to defend the subject God has granted him to rule. Still, little came of it; the realm was largely stable as far as the King could see.

But as the colonies became ever bolder in their demands for their rights to be recognized, the King, whose court now contained more than a few Americans, began to consider whether it was not his duty to uphold the liberties of his peoples? was it not his sacred trust to defend their ancient rights? And with that thought now taking shape, he began delaying royal ascent to acts he felt 'went too far in their efforts to secure control over our wayward subjects, and leaned toward tyranny' demanding alterations in line with colonial concerns. At first, this was a nuisance, but it soon shifted toward crisis when in 1774 he refused royal assent to the Massachusetts Government Act, referring to it as 'completely at odds with the principles of fair government'. For many in the Whig Party, this proved a bridge too far, and as mass celebrations broke out across the colonies for Good King George, in the Home Islands, plans were being put in place to remove the King before he became another Charles I, and in those efforts to avoid the threat of chaos, they would help trigger the First British Civil War."

Extract from - A History of the British peoples beginning with the Great Schism, by Emily Blunt​

Given there has been some interest in the Wikiboxes I've been posting, I thought. Why not throw my hand into the ring on the timelines front. Open to questions as they come, and happy to take suggestions or ideas, or outright contributions

 

[Lewie]

The Aristocratic Republic

O'er the hills and o'er the main
Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain.
Lord Burke commands and we obey
Over the hills and far away.​

The United Commonwealth of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the United Commonwealth (UC) or Britain, is a country predominantly located in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental, with further member states located in Asia and the Mediterranean. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, Malta, Cornwall, and Hong Kong. However, England is divided into states within the Union's Federal System.

The United Commonwealth is a federal republic and parliamentary democracy. Though it does retain a powerful unelected system of peers, leaving it as an outlier among republics. Though the House of Lords has been curtailed in recent decades, it remains filled with hereditary peers. The capital and largest city is London, a global city and financial centre with a metropolitan area population of over 14 million. London is home to a number of international institutions including the headquarters of the Community of British Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations. Other major cities include the city-state of Hong Kong, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Leeds. The union is divided into 16 states with varying degrees of autonomy under the Federalisation Act and the terms of the London Conference of 1969. With the most autonomy afforded to Ireland under the terms of the Home Rule Act.

The United Commonwealth has evolved from a series of annexations and unions of the constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707 formed the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its union in 1784 with the Kingdom of Ireland and adoption of the Commonwealth Consitution created the modern republic United Commonwealth of Great Britain and Ireland. These events came about as a result of the First British Civil War, leading to the abolition of the British Monarchy in Great Britain and Ireland, and its exile to America. Queen Victoria, the current Monarch, remains styled Queen-in-Exil of Great Britain and Ireland, among her other titles as the sovereign of the United Provinces, a source of continuing tension in diplomatic matters. Malta would be annexed in 1956, expanding the Union as the Empire was dissolved. The UC would become a federal state in 1970 as a result of agreements that ended the Second British Civil War (referred to as the Third British Civil War in American Sources) with Cornwall being granted country status and statehood during the negotiations separating it from England. It reached its current territorial area in 2000 with the accession of Hong Kong into the Union. The UC became the world's first industrialised country and was one, along with Napoleonic France, of the world's foremost powers during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 21st century, the UC remains a leading power, with considerable global influence, even after having lost its superpower status in the aftermath of the Second World War.

The nearby Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are not part of the UC, being Federal Dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation. There are also 20 British Overseas Territories, the last remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1940s after the brief annexation of much of French Africa, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's landmass and a third of the world's population, and was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture and the legal and political systems of many of its former colonies, with much of this being perpetuated and further spread by the United Provinces of America.

The United Commonwealth has the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and the sixth-largest by purchasing power parity. It has a high-income economy and a very high Human Development Index rating. It also performs well in international ranking in measures of socioeconomic performance, though ranks poorly in terms of social mobility, retaining an entrenched titled aristocracy. It is a recognized nuclear-armed state, the third country on earth to do so. It has been a permanent member of the Security Council of the Congress of Nations since 1948 and remains a considerable military power, ranking fourth globally in military expenditure and retaining mandatory national service.

The United Commonwealth is a member of the Community of British Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Congress of Europe, the G5, the G20, Six Eyes, the Congress of Nations, CDTO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Interpol, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Source - Used the Wikipedia Page for the United Kindom as a Template

 

[Lewie]

The Aristocratic Republic - Part II
​

Thank you for the kind words so far. Here's an update to some older boxes, and some additions. I'll be doing a fuller write-up on them later.

 

[Lewie]

"It is my profound hope, that before my life ends, I will see the royal standard fly over St. James Palace again"
Charles Baker - Addressing the British Parliament in 2022.​

The Community of British Nations simply referred to as the Community, is a political union of 5 member states, all of which were at one time British settler colonies, and the United Commonwealth.

Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, as a requirement of considerable near zero interest reconstruction loans granted to the United Commonwealth by the United Provinces, the Community was devised as an effort to cement wartime intergovernmental cooperation, as a stepping stone to the Reunification of the Realm, a key component of American foreign policy from the foundation of the nation to the present day. Australia and New Zealand were invited to join, as was the close American ally, and former British colony, the Realm of Patagonia. These states were, in the words of American Prime Minister Winston Churchill "Wayward British Nations, longing to be restored to Union with the Crown".

Member states allow freedom of travel between themselves and though the Community itself provides no legal obligations, they are connected through their use of the English language, cultural, legal and historical ties. While the organisation has largely been successful in fostering deeper ties between its member states, resulting in greater political, economic, intelligence and military cooperation, the other nations within the Community remain wary of American attempts to force the issue of Reunification to the table, the 2019 Pan-British Sumit being the most recent, with the event being publically denounced in a joint statement by the Australian, British, and New Zealand Governments.

The President of the Community of British Nations is Queen Victoria, she is the Queen of 2 member states and the claimant to the abolished thrones of Great Britain and Ireland, the predecessor states to the United Commonwealth. This post was formed at the insistence of the American Government in 1975 to mark the bicentennial of the Civil War.

 

[Lewie]

Good King George ​

George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was the first King of the United Provinces of America reigning from 12 October 1784 to 29 January 1820, and the final monarch of Great Britain and Ireland from 25 October 1760 to 12 October 1784. He was concurrently Duke and Prince-elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg ("Hanover") until 1784 when he abdicated in favour of his son, William, having never visited the country. Known as Good King George in America and George the Tyrant in the British Isles, he remains the most controversial monarch in British History.

George's life and early reign were marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdoms, much of the rest of Europe, and places farther afield in Africa, the Americas and Asia. Early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War, becoming the dominant European power in North America and India. Despite these upheavals abroad, domestically during much of this time, the King behaved as was expected of a constitutional monarch of the time. However, this would change drastically beginning in the 1760s when he began to insert himself into colonial policy towards America. George, who had displayed traits of quiet absolutism in his youth and afterwards, had developed a deep sympathy for the American position after coming into contact with Benjamin Franklin, and by the 1760s his court was "The Most American Place in London" as these connections furthered. His efforts to delay or alter acts in line with American concerns peaked with his refusal to grant royal ascent to the Massachusetts Government Act, which he regarded as tyrannical, and in opposition to the "Rights of Englishmen" These actions would eventually trigger the First British Civil War, as the Whig Party moved to remove a King they believed was overstepping his position. After a failed attempt to arrest him and place his elder son on the throne the King, who viewed these efforts as nothing short of treason, would respond by ordering the arrest of the coup plotters, Parliament would denounce this, and over the next several weeks both sides manoeuvred for control of the capital. The first true battle of the war would be the skirmish at Hyde Park, with matters only escalating from there.

In 1779, George was forced to flee to America, after the fall of London to Parliamentary forces. Arriving in the colonies, he would oversee the defeat of Parlimarety forces in America, the appointment of the American negotiators for the Peace of London, and afterwards the establishment of a new nation. Named King of the United Provinces by the Continental Congress in 1784, he would create the office of Prime Minister of the United Provinces in 1788, call the election of the first American Parliament, order the construction of a new capital on the banks of the Potomac River, spearheaded the formation of a standing American Army, and the reconstruction of the Royal Navy. When George III died in 1820, the Prince of Wales and the Appalachians succeeded him as King George IV.

A controversial figure in his own time, and into the modern era, he remains both landed and reviled for his actions, the extent to which the Civil War can be claimed on him remains a debated question.

 

[Lewie]

The German Empress​

Victoria II (Victoria Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was the Empress of Germany from 1 July 1958 and Queen of Hanover from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022.

Victoria was born in Herrenhausen, Hanover, as the first child of the Prince Albert of Hanover and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later King George V and Queen Elizabeth The Queen-Empress Mother). Her father acceded to the throne in 1937 with the death of Edward III in a French bombing raid during the Invasion of the German States, making the eleven-year-old Princess Victoria the heir presumptive. With her family's flight to the United Commonwealth taking place days after. While before this event, she had been educated privately at home, she was enrolled in a British private school at the insistence of her cousin Louis Battenberg, who had taken in the family upon their arrival. Following this, she began to undertake public duties serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Battenberg, a former prince of Greece and Denmark whom she met through Louis Battenberg, his uncle; their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in 2021. They had four children: George, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

After the liberation of German in 1945, her family returned to Hanover. To the surprise of many, the young Victoria had during her time in school and, as a result of her wartime experience, became a German pan-nationalist, holding that only a United Germany would be secure from hostile powers. Using her position as heir to the throne, she began to address the Hanover Parliament, calling for the Unification of German under a confederal system. Her speeches were widely published, and she became the only woman among the Founding Fathers of Germany. She was officially granted the honorific Mother of the Confederation during her diamond jubilee. Her advocacy for the movement helped sway many of the mid and small-size German states to agree to attend the Vienna Conference of 1951, where she strongly argued for a confederal model, a position that would win out. In keeping with her beliefs in constitutional monarchy, she retired from active politics upon ascending the throne in 1952, though it's known she continued her advocacy behind closed doors.

After the Confederation Treaty was agreed upon in 1956. she emerged quickly as the leading candidate for the office of German Empress, a post she believed needed to be elected by both the "Princes of the Realm and the Commoners alike", a position that had won out during the lengthy debates. And after the Prussian and Austrian Monarch's bowed to public pressure and rescinded their applications, she went on to win the 1958 Imperial Election, easily defeating her only rivals, the Kings of Bavaria and Württemberg.

Taking up residence in the city of Weimar, the new German Capital, she left governance of Hanover to her sister and mother, and when he came of age her son. Reigning as the first Monarch of a United Germany, she presided over the creation of new Pan-German insulations, the formation of the Zollverein, detente with France and the formation of the Congress of Europe.

A widely popular monarch the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, and Diamond jubilees in 1983, 2008, and 2018 respectively all of which coincided with the same milestones for the German Confederation, were widely celebrated events across German society. And while facing occasional republican sentiment she remained the most popular figure in the country she helped create. Victoria died in 2022 at Herrenhausen in Hanover, at the age of 96, and was succeeded by her eldest child, George VI, though only as Monarch of Hanover. Her state funeral was the first to be held in the German Confederation. The election of her successor as German Monarch will be held in June of 2023, her son is ineligible.

 

[Lewie]

Monarchs of Hanover after the end of the Personal Union.

1. 1760-1820 - Geroge III - Became King of Hanover in 1814. Due to his exile in America Hanover would be ruled by regents
2. 1784-1837- William
3. 1837-1843 - Edward I
4. 1843-1901 - Victoria - Salic law overturned due to concerns about her uncle, first in line for the throne, Prince Ernest August. While a female monarch wasn't the first choice of the Hanover Parliament, the liberal Victoria was greatly preferred over Ernest August when it became apparent that none of George III other living children wanted the throne.
5. 1901-1910 - Edward II
6. 1910-1936 - George IV
7. 1936-1937 - Edward III - Killed during bombing by French forces
8. 1937-1952 - George V - In Exile to 1945
9. 1952-2022 - Victoria II - Elected Empress of the German Confederation in 1958
10. 2022-present - George VI

 

[Lewie]

The Cuban in the Capital ​

If you'd like to see any other OTL figures, please give me a few!

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, 1st Duke of Havana (1926 – 25 November 2016), was an American

statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Provinces and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1981. Castro, the first Cuban to serve in the cabinet as Secretary of State for Labour from 1961 to 1968 under John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey, was a leading figure of the Progressive Wing of the Labour Party from the 1950s onward.

Born in Birán, the son of a wealthy Spanish farmer, Castro joined the newly formed Labour Party while studying law at the University of Havana after having served in Second World War in the Pacific theatre. Aligning himself with members of the former Progressive Party, Castro quickly became a leading figure of the party in deeply conservative Cuba. In 1952 he was nominated as the Labour candidate for the Seat of South Havana and narrowly won, beating out two-term incumbent Conservative Gonzalo Güell.

Appointed in 1961 as Secretary of State for Labour to replace Samuel K. McConnell Jr., who had proven far too right-wing for Kennedy's liking, Castro seized control of Labour policy in the United Provinces, advocating unionisation of Labour, higher wages, and worker-owned companies. It is rumoured that Kennedy intended to remove Castro after his return from Dallas, which has been the subject of several conspiracy theories. However, Castro, who deeply respected Kennedy, has always denied these allegations. He even assaulted a reporter in 1998 for bringing up the topic in a live interview and referred to it as an "Unacceptable slight" Castro would continue as Labour Secretary until 1968, when the Labour party lost power and following the retirement of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1971 after a stroke, was elected Leader of the Labour Party, becoming Prime Minister after Labout narrowly won the 1976 election.

His term as Prime Minister is considered the most socialist era in American history. Despite his thin majority in the Parliament, Castro could whip all MPs into line in almost every vote. He introduced socialised healthcare with the American Health Service, greatly expanded the welfare state, and increased taxes on the wealthiest Americans to fund his social programs. His shock defeat in the 1981 general election is often blamed partly on the conservative backlash to the speed of these reforms and Nixon's promise to leave the popular AHS alone if elected.

Following his resignation as leader of the party, Castro returned to the back benches before retiring from the house. Rejecting the traditional offer of a hereditary peerage, an Earldom, he sought election as a representative peer for Cuba. After his victory, he was granted a life peerage in order to serve. In 1999, Prime Minister Jerry Brown, who saw Castro as a political hero, asked King Henry IX to create Castro Duke of Havana, the first non-royal hereditary Dukedom in 40 years. Castro accepted, though he would continue to serve in the lords under his life peerage until his retirement in 2010, where he declined to take up membership in the house as Duke of Havana.

A polarising figure in American politics, he has scored well in historical rankings of Prime Ministers due in part to his ability to lay out and execute an agenda. He remains an icon of the Labour Party.

 

[Lewie]

The Polymath Loyalist ​

I'd like to thank Qwertius, who did the write-up for this. I can take only credit for the infobox and a few edits to bring it in line with lore. If you'd like to help, please feel free to do so!

Benjamin Franklin, 1st Duke of Philadelphia KE GCB FRS FRSA FRSE (17 January 1706 - 17 April 1790) was an American polymath, statesman, and leading figure of the thirteen colonies and later the United Provinces. He was a writer, scientist, inventor, Loyalist statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. The Duke served as the 8th President-General of the Continental Congress and the first Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford partly in recognition of his service as Minister to France, where he successfully acquired promises of further aid from France, after having played a crucial role in bringing them into the war. He was a significant figure in the American enlightenment movement. He held a prominent position in the court of King George III, furthering the cause of political rights and freedoms for the British colonies under the principle that the sovereign should serve to protect the rights of the people.

Born to a candle-making family in Boston, Philadelphia was largely self-taught, having received only two years of formal education; learning his family's trade, he continued his education through personal effort. He was sent to be an apprentice to his brother James' newspaper company, The New-England Courant. The abuses he suffered under the guardianship of his brother and the forceful closure of their newspaper for challenging British authorities helped ferment his belief in human rights. Fleeing Boston at 17, he began his own newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, at 23 and started the famed Poor Richard's Almanack, which would grow to become the main privately edited encyclopedia used in the United Provinces.

His achievements in science and engineering include his studies of electricity, his charting of the Gulf Stream, the invention of the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. He spearheaded the development of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he was appointed Postmaster General of British America, revolutionizing communication across the colonies. These achievements and his other successes made him likely the most famous American in the world.

While having already visited Britain in his 20s, his return in 1757 proved to be a turning point in Anglo-American history. Due to his fame, he was introduced to George III, then Prince of Wales. The two men would speak at length, with the future Duke making clear his concerns about the lack of American representation in Parliament to the King. When George III assented to the throne in 1760, the influence of Franklin and the "American Courtiers" was a growing concern among the British establishment. Franklin would continue to write and visit the new King during his travels in Europe, making his opposition to changes in British policy clear. The King began coming around to Franklin's argument as early as 1765 when he delayed the passage of the Stamp Act (1765). The Duke seized on his and spread the word of "Good King George" through the colonies. Leading to an influx of letters and petitions to the court through the American Courtiers. This would lead to the George taking further action.

After the beginning of the First British Civil War, he began a campaign across the colonies to rally the colonial militias and to raise funds for a professionally trained army to aid the King. He started his official diplomatic career in 1779 as Minister to France after having helped bring the French into the war on the Loyalist side. He was officially recalled in 1781 to advise the King on the French position. In reality, this was a cover, and shortly after his return, he was appointed President-General of the Continental Congress. Geroge III had fallen out with Henry Laurens and wanted a man he could trust holding the leadership of the Continental Congress. Prime Minister Lord North had refused the post, believing taking up the position would be an admission of defeat. The Duke would preside over the ratification of the Peace of London and the early formation of the American state before resigning in favour of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, who would later appoint Franklin Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a role he served in from the House of Lords, after having been created a Duke. He would die in office at the age of 84 and was granted a state funeral by the King, who named him "Our most loyal friend."

For his wartime services, and in recognition of his many achievements and loyalty to the King, he was granted one of the first British American dukedoms, made the one first knights of the new Most Noble Order of the Eagle and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. His likeness is featured on the 100-pound note, numerous statues, and the name of multiple administrative divisions. He had three children with his common-law wife, Deborah Read, William, 2nd Duke of Philadelphia, Francis, who died young, and Sarah, a pioneer in nursing, volunteer work, and campaigning for laws against violence against women and children. His influence on the political views of the King is the subject of much debate. Historian Emily Blunt argued that his actions resulted in the emergence of existing tendencies. In contrast, Piers Brendon suggested that before coming into contact with Fraklin and other thinkers, the King believed in the system as it was.

 

[Lewie]

The House of Lords
"The Most peculiar institution of America, both democratic and aristocratic, mad and sane, reformed and unreformed. A work in progress. Much like our nation"
Ronald Reagan, The Lord Reagan - 1987​

The House of Lords, formally The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Provinces of America in Parliament assembled is the upper House of the Parliament of the United Provinces. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of New Westminster in Georgetown, Capital Territory.

The House of Lords scrutinises bills that the House of Commons has approved. It regularly reviews and amends bills from the Commons and can reject any non-appropriation act, though it may delay appropriation acts for up to a year and force the Commons to reconsider their decisions. It essentially acts as a check on the power of the Commons in the modern era, having seen its power diminish significantly in the last 100 years. While members of any Lord may also take on roles as government ministers, high-ranking officials such as cabinet ministers are usually drawn from the Commons or the ranks of the elected Peers. While the Lords may not force an early general election, it does maintain the right to censure the Government and has often done so.

While the House of Commons has a defined number of members, the number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed, though, by convention, elected peers must make up at least one-quarter of the Lords, a constitutional convention established by agreement between the Labour and Conservative parties in 1977, Under reforms passed in 1977, Barons lost the right to a seat, restricting membership to dukes, marquesses, earls, and viscounts. While the creation of new barons remains common, higher-ranked peerages have become rarer as a result, with earldoms now essentially only created for former Prime Ministers and other ranks for members of the Royal family or existing nobility.

As a compromise in 1787 to ensure the adoption of the new constitution, each Province was granted the right to appoint Representative Peers, who would be given a right to sit in the House by special dispensation. While initially appointed by the state legislature, beginning in 1900, they were elected by popular vote, with the Monarch choosing to either appoint or reject the selected candidate. Since then, only five elected peers have been rejected. They serve 6-year terms, each state receiving six. Before and after these changes, appointed peers would be granted the right to the style of a Baron for life, though their right to sit in the House was limited to their term.

Using the system as a framework, the Roosevelt government in 1950 passed the Life Peerages Act, allowing the regular granting of life peerages to individuals meant to represent communities "Not found among the ranks of the peers" as well as individuals with noted expertise in a particular field, from the sciences to the arts. And, of course, political appointees. Since 2020 this process has been controlled by the Independent Appointments Commission, which aims to increase the representation of political parties.

Beyond these members, there are two other categories of note. Archbishops and the Indian Chiefs. Until 1903 all Bishops had an automatic right to sit in the House. However, after the Ecclesiastical Reform Act was passed, this number reached 187, so it was restricted to Archbishops, today standing at 40. The 48 Indian chiefs represent the so-called "Tribes of Note" and were, for much of the 19th and early 20th century, the only form of non-white political representation in the Parliament.

Today the make-up of the House is as follows.

• The Lord Speaker, a post currently held by The Baroness Clinton of Chappaqua.
• 374 Hereditary Peers.
• 542 Life Peers,
• 354 Elected Representative Peers
• 40 Archbishops from the Chruch of America.
• 48 Indian Chiefs, notably efforts are being made to rename these "Indigenous peers" and expand their membership

While the Conservative Party remain a staunch defender of the House of Lords and is opposed to further reform, the Labour party, who were responsible for past changes to the body, advocate the total removal of the remaining Hereditary Peers with the exception of those performing official functions and adopted this position as a policy commitment after the 2021 party leadership election.

The body is technically titled The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Provinces of Great Britain, Ireland and America in Parliament assembled through this has fallen into disuse in an effort to improve relations with the United Commonwealth. Though officially, the Conservative Party promises to revive its use.

 

[Lewie]

The Church of America

"I will tolerate the retention of the Church, but toleration is as far as that will extend."
Sir Thomas Jefferson - 1789

The Church of America (C of A) is the established Christian Church of the United Provinces of America. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and by far the nation's most prominent and largest faith, with 144 million baptized members, constituting more than a third of the American population. It is divided into forty provinces, each headed by an Archbishop. Members are referred to as Anglicans.

The Church was organized after the First British Civil War when it became separate from the Church of England; during the war, the clergy were split between their oath of allegiance to the British Monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and support for Parliament. An estimated tenth of Church of England officials joined the loyalists in their flight to America. However, the actual number may be far higher, with many retiring, before joining the Church of America after migrating to the United Provinces after the Peace of London. These men and existing Church leaders in America worked with King George III to form a new clerical hierarchy in the Provinces. It was made the Established faith at the King's demand during the Constitution's authoring. It was a point of great contention, as many American-born Founders outright opposed the idea of a state religion. As a compromise, the Freedom of Religion Clause was added to the document, meaning that while the Anglican faith would hold a special status, the free practice of religion was to be permitted, and there would be no requirement for any Christian minister to submit to the authority of the Church. This left the Church of America as a far weaker institution than the Church of England had been, and proved to be a source of lingering resentment for George III who believed he had betrayed his oath in legally enshrining full religious pluralism. The Church describes itself as "Protestant, yet Catholic" and claims apostolic succession, tracing its bishops back to the apostles via holy orders. Before the Great Ecclesiastical Treaty of 1978, the churches of America and England claimed authority over each other as the true successor to the pre-civil war faith. Many, however, rejected this and it remains nicknamed the "True Anglican Church" among much of the American peerage. In 1990, the Church granted independence to the Churches of the Philippines, Liberia, and Patagonia, all of which retained the Monarch as their supreme governor.

The American Monarch (currently Victoria) is the supreme governor, and the archbishop of New Canterbury (currently Micheal Curry) is the most senior cleric. The governing structure of the Church is based on provinces, each presided over by an archbishop, and below that are dioceses, headed by a bishop. And within each diocese are local parishes. The General Synod of the Church of America is the legislative body for the Church and comprises archbishops, bishops, other clergy and laity. The reigning Monarch opens its yearly summits. Its measures must be approved by the Parliament of the United Provinces.

In the modern era, there is growing controversy about the place of the Church in American life. According to polling in 2022, 31% of Americans support disestablishmentarianism, and the issue has re-entered the public debate due to the Labour Party adopting it as an official policy in 2021. In contrast to traditional advocates of disestablishment, Labour supports the Church becoming a National Church in recognition of its crucial role in the nation's history but to remove it entirely from the structure of the state.

 

[Lewie]

And what we've all been waiting for, and what my sanity allowed.

The world map.

Want to thank the good people over at the Historical Qbam map thread and Qwertius, Aron MacEanring. WheelyWheelyLegsNoFeely, Nazi Space Spy and HaroldGodwinson
for all the help they gave along the way!

If you have any thoughts on things that should be different. I'm open to hearing them!

 

[Lewie]

The Baker-Trudeau coalition

"What we have here, is a government" - Baker announces the end of coalition talks, holding up the Montreal Agreement.

The Baker-Trudeau coalition was formed by Charles Baker and Justin Trudeau when King Henry IX invited Baker to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Diana Spencer on the 18th of June 2016, after the general election on the 11th. It was the UP's first coalition government since the Churchill Wartime ministry of 1942-1947. The coalition was led by Baker as Prime Minister with Trudeau as Deputy Prime Minister and composed of members of both Bakers' centre-right Conservative Party and Trudeau's French-speaking party, Union Des Francophones. The UdF being handed three portfolios, Social Servies, Transport and the Environment, under the terms of the arrangement.

The election had been a relatively tight race, and while the Conservatives had emerged as the largest party in the new Parliament, they were now 12 seats short of a majority. While some talk was given about forming a minority government, party elder former Prime Minister Geroge Bush, Earl of Greenwich, advised strongly against this course of action and urged Baker to seek a coalition partner. After the King signalled this was his preference, Baker began talks with the only party willing to open negotiations, Justin Trudeau's UdF. Thanks to a divided vote, the party had done exceptionally well in the election, dominating the results in Quebec, southern Louisiana, and French-speaking areas of Canada and Michigan.

The talks began on the 20th and were held in Montreal, a significant concession to the UdF. Trudeau opened discussions with the long-standing demand of the party, making French a co-equal official language with English, with the long-term goal of official bilingualism. While Trudeau knew this wouldn't happen, he felt obligated to place it on the table, come what may. Baker, aware of this, traded it for increased funding to French-language schools in non-French provinces, providing political cover to Trudeau. Elements within the party attempted to force Trudeau to obtain a pledge to allow Quebec to hold an independence referendum, but he refused, having spent the past decade transforming the former Patri Quebecois into a broad church French-speakers party; he feared doing so would shatter party unity, and alienate pro-union forces that dominated the UdF outside the province,

After three and half weeks of negotiations, the Montreal agreement was completed and accepted by both parties, allowing them to form government at the invitation of the King on the 8th of July, ending the Spencer Government, which had remained in caretaker mode; there was, however, one last crisis to deal with. Trudeau had demanded the right for his MPs to address the House in French, and written translations to be provided. Since this was technically illegal, the King revoked the 1904 Parliamentary Language Act in a rare use of his absolute authority.

The government would prove to be relatively moderate and surprisingly stable, undergoing no full reshuffles during its term. However, Baker's narrow lead on the Labour party throughout the lifespan of the coalition meant he never felt confident enough to call for an early election, instead seeing through the whole term of the 53rd UP Parliament to its conclusion and going on to win a narrow majority in the 2021 election, ending the coalition.

 

[Lewie]

ABC News - October 29th 2022​

New Caledonia has voted narrowly, by a margin of less than 1,000, to remain a part of the Commonwealth of Australia, with the final result being announced at midnight local time. The tight race was the culmination of two decades of negotiation between the state and federal Governments over New Caledonia's position within the Australian federation. Australian forces occupied the predominantly French-speaking Island in 1938 during the Second World War. It was transferred to the Commonwealth as a territory in 1947 under the terms of the Treaty of London. The Island, which contained a large ethnically French settler population, and its native Kanaks' remained a territory of Australia until 1967, when it was granted statehood at the request of London. The United Commonwealth, in the early phases of the Second (Third) Civil War, feared that the resurgent French might attempt to regain the Island as they had Corsica and Oran, asked Australia to integrate the Island fully in exchange for passing the Australia act, severing the last constitutional ties between the counties. While statehood bought a greater degree of economic development to the Island, the Island's vast nickel deposits remain its most significant source of economic output.

While statehood was accepted without significant resistance, beginning in the 1980s, there were growing calls for Independence from Australia as many Frech-speakers abandoned the notion of a return to French rule and united with the Kanak sovereignty movement that had been growing in momentum since the 1940s. This eventually resulted in the election of the "New Caledonian Union", a broad church independence party that became, along with the Australia Unity Party, one of the two primary parties of the state. Ruling the Island without interruption since 1997, the NCU has sought a referendum on the Island's position and was finally granted one by the former Rudd government in 2020.

While polling during the leadup to the vote had shown a lead for the independence camp, the ongoing Pacific Economic Crisis led to a drop in support; a matter made worse when the newly elected Turnbull government published its "New Deal for New Caledonia" offering further autonomy within the Australian Commonwealth. However, many figures in New Caledonia tonight are blaming the popular Lord Protector and former Media presenter Steve Irwin, who visited the Island unannounced on Monday to campaign for the No side. While the yes camp has publically accepted the results, as has Premier Roch Wamytan, civil unrest has broken out in many pro-independence communities across the Island as the closeness of the vote became apparent. "What I want," said Irène Degarmo, who had joined a protest in her hometown. "Is another vote. We would have won this had that bastard not come here and the economy been better". While the protests have remained largely peaceful, there are concerns that unrest may intensify tomorrow as the Island awakens to the results.

For the head of the Yes Campaign Philippe Gomès, the results should be viewed "As nothing more than a roadblock, tomorrow we begin making a case for another vote, which I believe we can win", she went on to denounce rioters in the capital and called for calm. Elsewhere, the mood is jubilant with the opposition leader Shannon Noll, known for proclaiming he had been robbed of his victory in the Island's last state election, declaring that "The question of Independence is settled, forever", a sentiment that many would share, though as tonight's result show nearly as many reject.

 

[Lewie]

The Road to War
"When did the Civil War begin, and when did it end? Americans say it started later and never ended, but Britons insist it started earlier and ended 2 centuries ago "​

The Civil War's start date remains divided into two distinct camps. Within the United Commonwealth, the preferred dating begins with the attempted arrest of the King and his subsequent decision to publish warrants for the arrest of the known plotters and several other prominent Whig leaders, including the former Prime Minister, the Marquess of Rockingham. At the same time, Historians in the United Provinces use the Battle of Hyde Park as the starting point.

Regardless of which date, the lead-up is generally agreed upon by both factions. In the aftermath of the Seven Year's War, Britain began to abandon the policy of Salutary neglect towards tighter control of the Colonies. Britain had accrued large debts during the war and decided to deploy troops in the colonies to defend them from continued threats from France. Rockingham would begin moving in 1763 to pass a series of new taxation acts aimed at increasing authority in and revenue from the colonies to pay for the gains made during the war and the forces deployed to protect them.

These events may have been allowed to progress unobstructed had it not been for the prominent place of Benjamin Franklin in the King's court and that of several other Americans the former had bought with him. They began to argue that the King had a duty to uphold the rights of his subjects and that to abandon them would be in direct violation of his coronation oath. They convinced the King that under the notion of Virtual Representation it was, in fact, the King, and the King alone, that should speak for subjects not represented in Parliament. By mixing this notion with his minor absolutist leanings, George began interfering with Parliamentary efforts to tax the Colonies. While he had allowed the Sugar Act 1764 and the Currency Act 1764 to move through unaffected, he took action on the Stamp Act. While the King believed that the Colonies should pay for their defence, he agreed that the act had overstepped and recommended the list of items that would be required to bare the stamp be cut down and, most crucially, that it be paid in British currency, or colonial paper money, not only the former. While then Prime Minister Rockingham had been somewhat surprised by the King's action, he elected to follow the suggestions, though many within his party were outraged at the changes. This would prove to be only the start, and as Colonial opposition grew to Parliamentary acts increased, so did the popularity of the King, whose actions in their defence were widely reported on throughout the Colonies. A clear distinction emerged between the King who sought to aid them and a Parliament that embraced tyranny. The apex of these interventions came with the King's outright rejection of the Massachusetts Government Act, attempting to deal with the growing rebellion of the Colonies. The King reportedly didn't even give a reason for his actions, simply refusing his ascent and returning to an event he was hosting. Attended by Americans who welcomed the King as a hero.


When word reached the Whig leadership, they decided enough was enough and began to make moves to remove the King. After all, at this stage, it seemed clear the man was now following the advice of the colonists over his Government. This seemed to be merely an effort to take absolute power through covert means for the Whigs. A plan was hatched by the so-called "22", including Edmund Burke. Despite his support for Monarchy and sympathy for the American cause, he believed the King had gone too far in ignoring the advice of Parliament over the past decade and more.

The exact circumstances of the Storming of the Palace remain mirky. Even the term itself is falling out of use, as far from being a hero attack on the centre of tyranny as Whig leaders sold the event to the public, it was a half dozen men and a few loyal soldiers who informed the King he was to be removed in a park, and attempted to arrest him, only to be stopped by his guards whose loyalty had been misinterpreted. Though the men involved fled, the King quickly ordered their arrest for High Treason.


The Whig-dominated Parliament shielded the men, an act that incensed the King, who soon removed Rockingham as Prime Minister and appointed Lord North to form a new Government to confront the threat. Parliament outright rejected North as Prime Minister and forced the man to move his offices elsewhere, with North eventually setting up in St James's Palace at the offer of the King. Both sides would begin rallying forces to curtail the other, and fighting broke out in Hyde Park 14 days after the arrest attempt. And with that, the war started, spreading out across the country from the capital soon after. The colonies burst into chaos soon as word reached them about what was happening, and certain Governors and military officials backed Parliament. Already on the verge of war, the colonial elite threw their all in with the King.



And when the dust had settled, 300,000 men were dead.

 

[Lewie]

1. 1967-1977 - Richard Casey, 1st Earl Casey - Home State - Melbourne - Party - Liberal - Note - Governor-General from 1965
2. 1977-1978 - Robert Menzies, 1st Earl Menzies - Home State - Melbourne - Party - Liberal - Note - Died in office
   • Garfield Barwick, 1st Earl Barwick served as acting Lord Protector from the 15th of May to the 5th of March
3. 1979-1989 - Paul Hasluck, 1st Earl Hasluck - Home State - Western Australia - Party - Liberal
4. 1989-1994 - Andrew Peacock, 1st Earl Peacock - Home State - Melbourne - Party - Liberal
5. 1994-2004 - Robert 'Bob' Hawke, 1st Earl Hawke - Home State - Melbourne - Party - Labor
6. 2004-2009 - Tim Fischer, 1st Earl Fischer - Home State - New South Wales - Party - National
7. 2009-2014 - Paul Keating - Home State - New South Wales - Party - Labor
8. 2014-2019 - John Howard, 1st Earl Howard - Home State - New South Wales - Party - Liberal
9. 2019-present - Sir Steve Irwin - Home State - Cooksland - Party - Independent

 

[Lewie]

The Death Knell of the Union
"I won't preside over the demise of Portuguese civilization, not me! The line has to be drawn here! This far and no further!"
Recording of King Pedro leaked on the 31st of October 2022​

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[Lewie]

The Kings and Queen of the United Provinces of America ​

The Monarchs of the United Provinces

1. 1784-1820 - George III - Reigned as King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760
2. 1820-1830 - George IV
3. 1830-1836 - Frederick
4. 1836-1878 - Edward VII
5. 1878-1912 - Edward VIII
6. 1912-1937- George V
7. 1937-1971 - Charles III
8. 1971-1982 - George VI
9. 1982-2021 - Henry IX - Assassinated
10. 2021-present - Victoria
    • Heir Presumptive - Prince Matthew, Duke of Boston. The Queen's uncle

The Royal Title
Her Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Provinces of America and her other Realms and Territories Queen, Protector of Her Peoples Liberties, Rightful Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Head of the Imperial Leauge, President of the Community of British Nations

All Monarchs after Frederick are fictional.

Big Thanks to one LeinadB93 for their help in a few upcoming retcons. I think it goes without saying, but check out Hail Brittania if you haven't before. Some of the best work on this site!

 

[Lewie]

World Map in 2022​

Big Thanks to one LeinadB93 for their help on the updated map! As well as the folks over at the Historical Map Threat!

 

[Lewie]

Election Night 2021
"What we have here appears to be the first Conservative majority win since the 1988 election under the Earl of Greenwich, George Bush" - Wolf Blitzer.​

The 2021 United Provinces general election was held on Friday, May 28th, 2021to elect 700 members to the House of Commons. However, the selection of Friday proved controversial in certain circles as election day is a bank holiday, and in selecting the Friday, Bakerenforced a long weekend, an act perceived by many as a cynical move to gain public support.

Polls and commentators predicted the outcome would be a second consecutive hung parliament, and leaders from within the Conservative and Labour parties had already begun reaching out to minor parties before the election to discuss supply agreements; Baker and Trudeau had allegedly already agreed to continue the coalition if need. It was these polls that had led to Prime Minister Baker never calling an early election during the coalition government as had been expected. Despite this, the Conservatives outperformed the polls, winning 353 seats and 38.2% of the vote share. Once Elinor Carbone was appointed speaker of the House, this would give the Conservatives a razor-thin two-seat majority in the Commons, allowing them to govern alone.

The Labour Party, led by Julian Castro, who had succeeded Lady Spencer following her resignation after the 2016 general election, saw a decrease in vote share and returned only 290 MPs, their first sub-300 performance since 1983. Labour placed much of the blame on the strong performance of the Green and Whig parties, a sentiment firmly rejected by both, as well as a failure to reclaim lost ground in Quebec against the UdF. Castro would resign the following day, triggering a still ongoing Leadership election. The primaries paused after the attacks on September 21st.

The Union des Francophones, led by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saw little change in its share of the vote and managed to pick up another seat in Louisiana. While the surprise Conservative majority meant the end of the official coalition, Trudeau and Baker would agree to a supply and confidence arrangement shortly after the election in exchange for further funding to French schools to shore up the Government position in the Commons.

The Green Party won its highest-ever vote share with 7.4% and its highest seat count, gaining an additional 12 seats. Much of this success was credited to the defection to, and later leadership of, the Party by former Prime Minister Al Gore. Who, as Earl of Carthage, led the Party from the House of Lords. Having entered into a public feud with Castro in 2017 over what Gore saw as a failure to act on environmental issues, he resigned his membership in 2020. He soon after joined the Greens, being named party leader in the December of that year by acclamation.

The Whig Party, though only seeing a minor increase in its voter share, saw a tripling of MPs thanks partly to vote splitting between Labour and the Greens and Mike Thompson's widely praised performance in the second debate. This election would help cement the centrist Whig Party as a significant force in American politics. This fact was made more apparent when it won control of the Province of Connecticut later that October.

The right-wing populist Unity party saw its vote share decline, and its seat count nearly cut in half. This would be blamed on party leader Jim DeMint's vocal support for using military force to achieve the Reunification of the Realm during the debates, a position unanimously denounced by other party leaders. After the election, he refused to resign and had to be removed from the post by a leadership spill in August. He now serves as an independent after being suspended from the Party.









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