Help with Portugal-wank

[taylortjc]

Im trying to do a well thought out, maybe slightly ASBish Portugal wank but have a couple questions,

1. How long can Portugal hold on to its colonies of Mozambique, Brazil and its others?

2. Is there anyway that the Portugese/British could have done better in the Peninsular War? Well enough to get french territory out of the deal?

3. Or maybe instead of allying with the British they just bow ot the french and mind there own business expand colonies?


The answers can be a little ASBish but id prefer keeping it as realalistic as possible?

 

[Falastur]

2. Is there anyway that the Portugese/British could have done better in the Peninsular War? Well enough to get french territory out of the deal?

Colonial territory? There's no way Portugal will get colonial territory from France off the Peninsula War because the Peninsula War wasn't colonial - and the UK had already taken over all the French colonies pretty much in lieu of a final peace deal by this point anyhow. You don't tend to get colonies as reparations for a war in which you got half your country occupied and required another country's assistance to free yourself, either.

Unless you didn't mean colonial territory? In which case, again I'd have to say no. Portugal taking pieces of France proper is ASB, in this scenario at least.

A POD as late as Napoleon is probably too late for a proper Portugal wank anyway. If you move your POD forward 300 years you can do far, far better.

 

[Russian Sailor]

Colonial territory? There's no way Portugal will get colonial territory from France off the Peninsula War because the Peninsula War wasn't colonial - and the UK had already taken over all the French colonies pretty much in lieu of a final peace deal by this point anyhow. You don't tend to get colonies as reparations for a war in which you got half your country occupied and required another country's assistance to free yourself, either.

Unless you didn't mean colonial territory? In which case, again I'd have to say no. Portugal taking pieces of France proper is ASB, in this scenario at least.

A POD as late as Napoleon is probably too late for a proper Portugal wank anyway. If you move your POD forward 300 years you can do far, far better.

Even moving the POD to 1750 will create a huge divergence. I mean really has anyone seen Lusitania's tl.

 

[Lusitania]

Even moving the POD to 1750 will create a huge divergence. I mean really has anyone seen Lusitania's tl.

I knew my ears were burning, I faced the same questions I wanted to build a stronger Portugal during WWII. I looked in the 20th and 19th century and realized that things were too screwed up. Although Peter V might of build the country up (1851-1862) until he died prematurely. But that still would not of helped with Brazil.

Then I looked at Marques de Pombal and the changes he attempted to bring to Portugal. The age of Enlightenment, which Northern European countries had or were experiencing. Portugal needed industry, for it practically imported everything it needed from our friends the English.

I also viewed the problem Portugal had (demographics) only 3 million people while Brazil had 2 million already. You can go back further prevent the Portuguese falling under Spanish control but even then we have the same problems, lack of industry and the dependency on England for protection.