State of the World: 1740
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A 1740 world map. Changes include:

  • The Chinese rebellions, obviously, with a small Korean one as well.
  • Territorial and diplomatic changes as a result of the Second Bourbon War. Naples is no longer shown as a French puppet (and controls Malta and Sardinia), Tuscany and Venice are marked as "under Neapolitan influence", Savoy gains land in southern France, France gains a tiny bit of land in Flanders, and various borders shift in North America.
  • Caledonia is larger.
  • Persian Oman, Mughal Deccan.
  • Colonial settlements: Portuguese in New Guinea and Australia, Dutch in Patagonia, Russians in Siberia (as usual).
  • Russian invasion of Ruthenia.
  • North African territories that Morocco conquered in the late 1600s and early 1700s in both IOTL and ITTL are correctly shown as belonging to it here.
(I'm beginning to wonder if I should do these in the style of video game patch notes...)
 
Making Enemies and Influencing Nations (1741-50)
Hello again! I'm beginning to get the feeling that I'm on shaky ground with this TL, because I have to rely on historical resources less and less as time goes on because of butterflies, so I'm forced to use my own conjectures on how things would go. But I'm still taking care to avoid anything blatantly unrealistic.

I might go back to 25-year updates after this, depending on how busy my schedule is, how inspired I am (or not) to work on other non-AH projects, and how I can fit planned developments into the timeline. We'll see how that goes.

Check in soon for the updated map!

1741


More New Guineans flee to Australia, and some start to come into contact with the Australian Aborigines. The two groups largely leave each other alone, but a few Aboriginal tribes begin to mingle with the refugees.


Prussian and Saxon forces rush to relieve the Polish and Lithuanians. Russia withdraws slightly to ensure that its supply lines are out of Cossack reach, but it still holds a sizeable salient within Ruthenia. It also prepares a smaller army to invade Ukraine.


The Sultan of Zanzibar begins centralizing his kingdom, intending to build it up into a major East African power. To this end, he sends diplomats to establish relations with his neighbors (and fellow rivals of Persia) in the Ottoman Empire.


James Stuart arrives in Caledonia, but remains incognito for the time being.


Louis XV dies and is succeeded by his son, Charles, Dauphin of France. (1)


Support for the Perfectionists grows as the Qing dynasty is widely perceived to have lost its legitimacy.


1742

Several minor disease outbreaks occur in Aboriginal tribes living near New Guinean migrants, but the newcomers are few in number and contact is rarely sustained. The outbreaks burn themselves out in a matter of months or even weeks in some cases.


Russia launches its invasion of Ukraine, attempting to restore its sovereignty over the Cossacks and clear the way to attack Poland.


Korea has become de facto independent from the Qing, and several new provinces have joined the Perfectionist revolt. The rebels now control most of southern China.


English and southeastern Native American settlers begin encroaching on Spanish West Florida.


The population of the Antilles has seen a sharp increase in recent years, as many slaves have fled the destruction in Hispaniola and Cuba to find safety there.


1743


Spain sends diplomatic rebukes to England and the Netherlands, demanding that their settlers restrain themselves to their own lands.


The Prusso-Saxon reinforcements arrive in Ruthenia and, in concert with the Polish and Lithuanians, begin pushing back the overextended Russians. However, the time the Russians took to strengthen their position has paid off, as they inflict heavy casualties on their enemies.


The Ukrainian Cossacks are outmatched by the strength of the Russian army, but are strongly motivated to fight against their former oppressors. In a reverse of the situation on the Ruthenian front, the Russians advance at a heavy cost.


Fresh off its success in Oman, Persia begins plans for campaigns against the Central Asian khanates.


The Perfectionist rebels, now controlling the entirety of South China, declare themselves a new dynasty, known as the Chun (“pure”) Dynasty.


France has been in a relative state of decline for several decades, and is now devoid of most of its allies and its colonial empire. Charles X attempts to reverse this trend; his first act in doing so is to attempt to strengthen the Franco-Ottoman alliance in order to counteract Austrian power.


1744


England and the Netherlands reject Spain’s demands, angering the Spanish. Spain receives a secret pledge of support from Portugal, who hope for a rematch against the Dutch.


Poland opens up a third front against Russia, invading Ingria and Estonia from Courland, as the Saxons and Prussians cross Russia’s western border. Russia, now attempting to spread its troops to fight three different campaigns, begins withdrawing from Ukraine.


Persia begins its Central Asian plan with an attack on the Khanate of Bukhara.


The Chun Dynasty puts its efforts toward stabilizing its borders, realizing that it will overextend if it attempts to conquer Manchuria.


The budding feminist movement in South America is beginning to make its influence felt, attracting more support and inspiring several local politicians and officials to write on its behalf. But its new status also invites a backlash; some meetings are broken up by militias or mobs, and a few provincial governors go as far as illegalizing the movement altogether. (2)


1745


Spain reinforces its borders by dispatching troops to West Florida and La Plata, a move that causes a great deal of consternation among the English and Dutch both at home and in the colonies.


Zanzibar begins an aggressive settlement and colonization program intended to expand its territory in Africa, pushing its borders down the Swahili coast and into Madagascar. Initially, however, its control over these areas is only nominal.


Russia, in retreat on all fronts, uses the strategy that has worked for it many times before: taking advantage of its bitterly cold winters. Some of the enemy troops are used to fighting in cold weather, but most are not, and the Russians are granted a reprieve.


Taungoo, with the support of its Mughal allies, begins to integrate several of the minor Burmese states. (3)


Persia’s invasion of Bukhara draws in many of the other Central Asian khanates, who correctly see the war as an attempt at domination over the entire region, against them. (4)


1746


Ashanti continues its expansion, and has become a major regional power in West Africa.


The War of the Polish Succession ends. Both sides are exhausted; Russia is on the back foot with low morale, while its enemies know that the Russian spring is almost as difficult to fight in as its winter. The treaty is largely status quo ante bellum, save that Russia cedes Livonia to Poland and a parcel of land east of the Don River to Ukraine.


As tensions rise, a series of border skirmishes break out in Florida and Patagonia. Several English and Dutch settlers are killed. Spain refuses to accept responsibility for the deaths, maintaining that the settlers were illegally colonizing Spanish land. When the skirmishes escalate into a full-scale battle between English and Spanish militias in Florida, and both sides refuse to back down, England declares war on Spain, with the Dutch and Portuguese joining their allies shortly afterwards. The Iberian War begins. (5)


Kongo plans a series of reforms and modernizations in order to bring itself up to parity with the European colonizers.


The old Shogun of Japan dies, and is replaced by his son, Tokugawa Isamu. Isamu has been reform-minded from a young age, but seeing the rise of the Chun Dynasty in China, understands the need for caution in his own country. He issues a few edicts relaxing the Sakoku law, but does not repeal it outright.


1747


France watches with glee as its rivals fight among themselves, taking the opportunity to rebuild its alliance network with overtures to Bavaria and Switzerland. (6)


A few high-profile cases of women arrested for attempting to enlist in the militia cause a sensation in New Granada. Some women also disguise themselves in order to fight, and though a few are caught, others are able to slip past the recruiters. (7)


In the Caribbean theater of the Iberian War, a Dutch-Antillean combined assault on St. Martin is repelled by the French, and Pensacola successfully defends itself from the English.


In the Pacific theater, Portuguese and Dutch forces clash once again. Portugal opts to focus on the Moluccas instead of the Philippines this time, and achieves some success with this strategy. Moro mercenary privateers are in high demand on both sides.


In the Indian Ocean theater, the battle between the Spanish and Dutch for Ceylon turns into a bloody stalemate, and English attacks on Bombay and Goa meet with failure.


In the South American theater, the Dutch besiege Buenos Aires, but are hard-pressed to defend Guyana. Meanwhile, militias from Caledonia (still technically loyal to the King of England) launch raids across the Darien Gap and toward Lake Nicaragua.


In the Low Countries theater, the Netherlands makes quick advances into Brabant.


1748


Persia has made little progress in Central Asia. The khanates are not strong enough (even combined) to defeat it outright, but they are fully capable of turning the war into a quagmire.


A Portuguese campaign in Sumatra brings a large part of the island under their control.


Thanks to its new trade connections in the Pacific (developed to reduce its dependency on the Straits), Malacca joins Maguindanao and Sulu as a coveted ally of the warring powers.


Unrest begins to spread within the Ottomans’ Romanian vassal states.


Buenos Aires and Ghent fall to the Dutch.


The Spanish advance from West Florida into their former territories in East Florida. Colonial militias rush down the Carolina Road to stop them, joining up with the southern natives’ federation.


The Dutch discover a species of the quinine-producing cinchona tree growing in Sulawesi, and quickly begin exporting it in order to help them and their allies fight off malaria in the Pacific and South America. (8)


Zanzibar solidifies its control over its settled territories, but comes into conflict with the Imerina Kingdom in Madagascar.


1749


The Spanish gain the upper hand in Guinea and Ceylon.


Quinine shipments from the East Indies allow the Caledonians to step up their efforts in Central America.


An Anglo-Cherokee army is defeated by the Spanish in Augusta, opening the way to East Florida.


Seeing the usefulness of the Carolina Road to the war effort, colonial authorities begin to plan an expansion of it into Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.


Malacca joins the Portuguese, hoping to take back its capital from the Dutch, while Maguindanao (realizing that its neutrality is losing its usefulness) sides against Portugal in order to expand further in the Philippines.


Antillean agents attempt to incite slave revolts in several Spanish Caribbean territories.


Persia requests that Russia join it against the Khanates in return for a large share of any conquered territory. Eager to recoup its territorial losses against Poland, Russia agrees.


Kongo’s modernization program proceeds in earnest, and European advisers are more willing to help the Christian kingdom than its pagan neighbors.


The Battle of Brussels ends in a tactical draw but a strategic Dutch victory, as they are able to hold onto their gains in Brabant.


1750


Japan reaches a middle ground between its previous isolationism and total openness. While the country is somewhat more willing to trade and adopt European technologies, Western contact is still strictly controlled. (9)


Russian aid proves to be just what the beleaguered Persians needed, helping them to salvage their war effort and go on the offensive once again.


Antillean efforts are successful in Trinidad. Slaves on the island are armed and funded to overthrow their masters, scoring another victory in the Caribbean.


The Spanish conquest of Guinea and Ceylon is completed, but English marines launch a surprise attack on Spanish Mozambique. (10)


Spanish forces march through northern Florida, hoping to cut it off from the rest of the colonies.


Maguindanao takes over a few of Portugal’s smaller Philippine islands, but is prevented from making any larger gains.


Imerina, incensed by the Zanzibari settlements on its land, declares war on Zanzibar.


Austria begins sending aid to Romanian separatist groups in western Transylvania and Wallachia.


  1. Different royals are being born ITTL because of the butterfly effect, leading to Charles X (no connection to the OTL post-Revolution monarch) instead of Louis XVI.

  2. There are a lot of factors behind the growth of feminism in the colonies instead of the Spanish metropole, but the main one is that the hierarchy of control is less centralized even within each individual viceroyalty. That makes censorship and suppression quite a bit more difficult; in mainland Spain, there are only a few copies of the book to be found. That said, the local authorities can still exercise their power if they put enough effort into it.

  3. It’s hard to find any sources on the Burmese micro-states, but Taungoo is by far the strongest power in Burma and they have the Mughal Empire backing them, so this doesn’t seem like a difficult proposition.

  4. Including Khiva and Kokkand.

  5. I couldn’t really think of a descriptive name for it, but since both Iberian powers are fighting on the same side…

  6. They’ve been allies with Bavaria before, and they’re hoping they can tempt the Swiss into an anti-Savoyard alliance to help them get their land back.

  7. Women disguising themselves to go into battle has been a phenomenon in many historical wars, but the new feminist influences have emboldened some enough to try to enlist openly (though they aren’t successful).

  8. I’m not sure when the cinchona on Sulawesi were discovered, but it makes sense that the Dutch would search for as much quinine as they could get their hands on if they were prosecuting a war in equatorial jungles.

  9. I’m trying not to have history turn on a dime in my TL; a lot of historical developments take a long time to happen. There will occasionally be big changes, though.

  10. Basing out of the Dutch Cape Colony, which I’ve just realized wasn’t on the 1700 basemap for some reason.
 
State of the World: 1750
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New 1750 world map!

The map now shows:

  • The Cape Colony's existence.
  • The Spanish conquest of the Andes is completed, removing another artifact left over from the 1700 basemap.
  • Colonial expansions in the Americas, Africa, and the East Indies/Australia, but not Russia! They've been a little busy.
  • Territorial changes in the aftermath of the War of the Polish Succession.
  • Occupations and campaigns in the Iberian War (name still subject to change).
  • Expansion in Ashanti, Kongo, and Taungoo.
  • The Russo-Persian Central Asia campaign.
  • The situation in China: divided between the Qing in the North (no pun intended) and the Chun in the South. Korea also grabbed a little bit of land when it became independent. EDIT TO ADD: Yes, those Qing holdouts in Hainan and Taiwan are intentional.
  • Two new polities that weren't present before: Imerina and the Aboriginal tribes who have made contact with New Guineans.
  • Minor changes: Antilleans in Trinidad, Maguindanao conquers some small islands, etc.
 
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Chun Dynasty flag
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Flag of the Chun Dynasty, depicting a lotus blossom, which represents strength and resilience in the face of adversity in Chinese culture. (I made an alternate version with pink petals, but it didn't come out very well.)
 
You Say You Want A Revolution? (1751-75)
Hi everyone! If Ye Do Not Feel The Chain is back with its biggest update yet! This one took forever to write, not just because of its size, but because I had a really hard time figuring out how to write the events in this section in a plausible way. I hope I've succeeded (and added a little more personality to the story while I'm at it), but if not, remember that history takes some weird turns sometimes, even IOTL.

Enjoy!

(Oh, and the map for this one might take a little bit longer than usual...)

1751


The Spanish assault on northern Florida is blunted, but additional reinforcements allow them to occupy much of the west of the peninsula.


The Mozambique invasion results in disaster for England, with the marine force being cut off and forced to surrender.


Maguindanao and the Netherlands make significant progress in their campaign against the Portuguese Philippines, but Portuguese and Malaccan forces are able to hold Sumatra.


Zanzibar initially fails to make significant progress against Imerina.


The Khanate Wars end, resulting in large territorial gains for both Persia and Russia.


1752


The various fronts of the Iberian War begin to stabilize, with few gains made by either side.


New Guineans begin to assimilate into Aboriginal tribal societies, resulting in a great deal of cultural syncretism.


Attempting to take advantage of Zanzibar’s distraction to gain land on the Swahili coast, several minor Somali states join Imerina in its war against the Zanzibaris.


Native Americans of the Seminole tribe migrate north out of Florida to avoid living in the border region between two warring powers, eventually joining up with the Cherokee-Tuscarora confederation.


England’s North American colonies have begun to develop regional identities based on their differing experiences. The strongest is in Quebec, where separatist feelings still run strong despite attempts to assimilate the population. New England is unified by its experiences in the 1689 revolts and the various wars against the French, and by its relative economic prosperity compared to its fellow colonies (1). Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland share an open and forward-thinking political stance, marked by religious tolerance and individual rights, and they have been relatively untouched by the rebellions and wars of the past decades. Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have been unified by their common Spanish enemy in much the same way that New England was by the French; their economies are still heavily plantation-based despite the abolition of slavery; and they have much closer relations with the Native Americans than other colonies (2).


Romanian dissidents gain in strength and influence thanks to Austrian support.


1753


A series of large naval battles in the western Caribbean end in pyrrhic English victories, as the Spanish are prevented from seizing the English West Indies at the cost of much of the Royal Navy’s New World fleet.


Stalemates in Flanders, Buenos Aires, and Florida remain unbroken, causing large numbers of casualties on both sides. The two alliances begin to become weary of fighting, and peace negotiations begin.


Russia’s resources are stretched thin following the War of the Polish Succession and the Khanate Wars, limiting its territorial expansion into Siberia.


A few Portuguese slaves follow the example of the New Guineans, fleeing their masters to settle in Australia.


Ottoman Sultan Mehmet V (3) realizes the danger of an Austrian-backed Romanian rebellion; he wishes to solidify his French alliance and, if possible, curtail the Janissaries before becoming drawn into any more wars. In order to prevent such a conflict, he negotiates with the Romanians, agreeing to unite the Danubian principalities as a near-independent autonomous vassal on the condition that they remain loyal to the Empire for the foreseeable future. Some of the rebels (especially those with close ties to Austria) are enraged by what they perceive as a submission to the Sultan, but others are satisfied with the concessions, seeing them as a first step to a status as equals instead of subordinates.


Zanzibari forces inflict several major reversals on their enemies, advancing into Madagascar and Somalia.


1754


England, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, settling boundaries after the Iberian War. Spain gains the western Floridian peninsula, Dutch Guyana, and Dutch Ceylon, but loses Buenos Aires and the Brabant to the Dutch, as well as part of Central America to Caledonia. Portugal trades its losses in the Philippines for its gains in Sumatra, an outcome acceptable to both sides--Portugal’s interests lie more in the East Indies, while the Dutch intend to pursue trade in East Asia. Spain and Portugal also extract a promise from their enemies not to encroach on their colonial lands. Patagonia is divided between the Spanish and Dutch. (4)


George I of England and Scotland dies. His son, Richard IV, succeeds him to both thrones.


The Somalis petition for Ottoman aid in defeating the Zanzibaris, but are refused. (5) Meanwhile, Zanzibar uses the war as a testing ground for new naval and shipbuilding techniques.


Portugal begins to show interest in finding quinine to use in Brazil and New Guinea.


1755


Enlightenment ideals are finding an audience in English North America, especially in and near the Mid-Atlantic colonies. Contacts between the English in Georgia and the Spanish in Florida are also serving to introduce southern colonial women to the feminist ideas pioneered in New Granada and Mexico.


The natives of Siberia, granted a temporary reprieve from Russian pressure, begin to organize themselves so as to better resist colonization.


Zanzibar emerges victorious from its wars against the Imerina and the Somalis, expanding its territories in East Africa.


English colonists, having mostly settled east of the Appalachians up until this point, begin to make expeditions further to the west.


Danish-Norwegian colonists settle in Greenland.


1756


Prussia asserts land claims over Mecklenburg and Danish Pomerania. (6)


Philip of Naples dies, leaving the throne of Naples and the leadership of the Second Italic League to his son Henry, who is crowned Henry I of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia.


Richard IV, in an attempt to assert control over the colonies (which he feels have been granted an unreasonable degree of autonomy), replaces many administrative officials with candidates he has selected. This is met with some discontentment in the colonies, but is generally accepted to be one of Richard’s prerogatives as King.


Due to the damage dealt to the navies of both England and Spain, piracy begins to become common in the West Indies and, to a lesser extent, off the Atlantic coast.


1757


Syncretic societies of Aboriginals, New Guineans, and escaped slaves begin to coalesce in Australia.


Henry I makes a peculiar overture to the Pope: he requests that the Papal State joins the Italic League, and offers to make the Pope the co-head of the League along with the King of Naples if he agrees.


As Russia attempts to resume its push to the Pacific, it is unpleasantly surprised to discover that the eastern Siberian natives are unusually well-organized. Some are even equipped with armaments traded or stolen from the Qing remnant in Manchuria.


Poland and Saxony support Prussia in its claims as per their agreement, creating a crisis with Denmark-Norway and Mecklenburg.


1758


The Empire of Dai Viet sends envoys to the Qing holdout on Hainan, demanding their submission and vassalization. Ordinarily they would never take such a risk, but with the Qing all but destroyed and the Chun occupied rebuilding and stabilizing their state, they see an opportunity to increase their influence.


Kongo’s partially modernized army proves its worth in several successful campaigns against its smaller neighbors.


The Pope, after months of deliberation, agrees to Henry I’s request. Most Catholics are pleased to see their leader taking up such an important role, but many fundamentalists and traditionalists are enraged. They see the Italic League’s offer as both an attempt to deprive the Pope of his temporal power, and an insult, as it implies that the King of Naples is the Pope’s equal. A small schismatic faction forms. Its adherents, called Sedevacantists (7) refuse to recognize the current Pope and see the papal office as empty until either he or one of his successors leaves or asserts supremacy over the Italic League.


Tokugawa Isamu begins the second phase of his rollback of the Sakoku law with another series of pro-trade edicts.


Prussia invades Danish Pomerania with Saxon and Commonwealth support.


1759


Denmark-Norway’s army in Pomerania puts up strong resistance, but is eventually overwhelmed by superior numbers. A second army is mobilized in Jutland in order to repel the invaders, and the Danish-Norwegian navy (far superior to that of both Prussia and Poland-Lithuania, as both are primarily land powers) blockades the area.


Upon receiving the refusal of Hainan to accept their suzerainty, Dai Viet invades the island.


Portugal negotiates a trade deal with the Netherlands to buy small quantities of cinchona bark, which they put to use as a treatment for malaria in Brazil.


A fungal blight causes severe damage to North American crops. (8)


The Mughal Empire establishes diplomatic and trade relations with the newly-expanded Sultanate of Zanzibar.


1760


Some of King Richard’s administrators prove able to handle the task of relieving the famine, but many are too inexperienced to adequately manage the relief efforts. A few, especially in Quebec and the Mid-Atlantic colonies, attempt to use the threat of withholding needed food supplies in order to bring perceived dissidents in line, a policy that backfires spectacularly. Making matters worse, the damage done to the English navy during the Iberian War and the resultant rise of piracy are hindering food shipments. Discontent and unrest begin to rise. (9)


The Danish army arrives in Pomerania, fighting a rapid but indecisive series of engagements with the Prussians.


An uprising occurs against the Qing in Taiwan, spearheaded by Taiwanese natives who hope to restore the Kingdom of Middag.


The Dai Vietians advance quickly upon the underequipped and undersupplied Hainan army.


1761


To the delight of the Dutch, the Kingdom of Joseon proves to be more open to European influence than Japan or the Chun. A new market is opened for Eastern merchants.


King Richard orders his new colonial administration to crack down on any uprisings in the colonies, but stops short of giving them carte blanche to act as they see fit. Nevertheless, many of the more zealous officials interpret this directive extremely loosely. Several trading ports are closed and a few colonial legislatures are dissolved (though the best-established ones, such as Virginia’s House of Burgesses, remain intact). Meanwhile, the pace of western migration increases as settlers flee over the Appalachians to escape the famine.


Thanks in part to the large amounts of naval support they receive, the Danes are able to begin pushing the Prussians out of Pomerania.


Hainan is brought under Dai Vietian occupation, but it still has yet to be integrated into the Empire’s civil structures.


The Middag uprising spreads quickly, overwhelming the few remaining Qing troops.


1762


Riots begin to break out in several cities in English America. In the quarter-century since the introduction of the first semi-professional police forces to the continent, urban centers have become more and more dependent on them to reduce crime and keep order--which now comes back to haunt them, as many of the watchmen are sympathetic to the rioters’ cause.


The Chun Dynasty is angered by the Dai Vietian and Middag incursions on what it sees as its rightful territory, and resolves to take it back at the earliest opportunity. However, due to the instability of the country and the still-present threat of the Qing in North China, this is easier said than done.


Polish reinforcements reach Pomerania, stalling the Danish advance.


The Mughals establish trade outposts in the Andaman Islands.


Ashanti, realizing the deleterious effect of the Atlantic slave trade on its population and resources, sets about reducing the number of slaves it sells to Europeans.


1763


Maria Teresa grants the Basque country and Catalonia official equal status as a constituent kingdom of Spain under her rule, adding Queen of Catalonia and the Basques to her list of titles. This is seen as an unnecessary concession by many Castilians and Aragonese, but is celebrated by minorities in the Spanish Empire. (10)


Neapolitan agents are deployed to Genoa to foment pro-Italic sentiment. (11)


The Qing begin actively arming the Siberians, believing that having a small but friendly native state as a northern neighbor is far preferable to having the Russian juggernaut breathing down their throats, especially in their weakened state.


The rioting in England’s American colonies spreads to other regions (12):


  • The Hudson Bay area has been affected even more severely by the famine, because its harsh climate makes farming difficult, forcing it to depend on fishing and food shipments. However, the few shipments that escape piracy are largely being directed to other colonies. The beleaguered Canadians turn to fishing and trading furs with the nearby Iroquois for food; in this they are partially, but not completely, successful.

  • The West Indies, meanwhile, have not been as affected by the famine, but are still suffering from an economic depression: the principal sources for their slaves are shrinking, as are many of the main New World markets for their sugarcane exports. Furthermore, they are by far the worst affected by the increase in piracy; some pirates have become brazen enough to conduct raids on towns and forts, a rarity before the Iberian War.

The Poles, Prussians, and Saxons, acting in concert, begin to turn the tide of the war against the Danish.


1764


A pro-Italic uprising in Genoa is met with a counter-rising spearheaded by Sedevacantists and pro-Spanish citizens.


Caledonia buys large amounts of quinine from the Dutch and Portuguese, as malaria has been one of their most significant obstacles to population growth.


Crackdowns against colonial rioters only serve to galvanize more opposition, which in turn breeds harsher peacekeeping measures, creating a vicious cycle. The situation in the colonies escalates, and the unrest breaks out into rebellion. English North America is in open revolt for the second time in under a century.


Despite censorship efforts, feminist pamphlets and writings begin to make their way from Spanish America back to the metropole.


The Alaouite King of Morocco begins to organize tribal authorities in the Sultanate, but unlike his predecessors, makes no attempt to strip or decrease their powers.


An aging James Stuart takes advantage of the chaos in North America to proclaim himself the “King of Caledonia” with the support of many of the local landholders. However, he scrupulously avoids openly declaring any claim to the English or Scottish thrones, hoping that he will be perceived as less of a threat and thus have time to build up defenses before the English attempt to retake the colony.


Denmark is pushed out of Pomerania once again, and decides to cut its losses. It agrees to surrender the territory to Prussia.


Tokugawa Isamu has pushed Japan a great deal closer to openness. More trading ports have been opened, and diplomatic missions are being sent to a few select nations.


1765


English troops are hastily dispatched to the colonies to quell the uprisings. The character of the revolts varies heavily by region:


  • In the Hudson Bay, the revolts evolved almost entirely from bread riots, with the objective of simply removing the current (mostly ineffective) administration in order to better organize relief efforts. However, though the colonists who hope to see the area go it alone are in the minority, they are far from nonexistent.

  • In Quebec, government officials have handled the famine better, but the already existing separatist movement has fanned the flames of rebellion. However, it has been decades since the French ruled the region, and the Quebecois have no desire to return to their former masters--instead, they hope to become independent.

  • In New England, the uprisings are seen as direct successors to the legacy of 1689, though there is far less of a religious component this time.

  • In the Mid-Atlantic, the anger is focused on the dismantling of their legislatures and the seizure of power by the new governors. The feeling is especially pronounced because of the withholding of food aid in some locations as a means of suppressing rebellion--though extremely uncommon, the incidents serve as a rallying cry for many. (13)

  • In the Southern colonies, the uprising takes on a distinct class-war tinge--most of the elite planter class is still well-fed, especially those who focused on growing cash crops. Women also participate to a greater extent here than elsewhere due to the influence of Latin American feminism.

  • In the West Indies, results vary from island to island. Some locations suffer slave revolts; in others, free blacks and poor whites join forces, and in the places worst affected by the crisis, the rebellions cut across racial and class lines. Some rebel groups act as makeshift local defense forces against piracy.

  • In Caledonia, James Stuart has a wide base of popular support and a great deal of money, as many of the Caledonian immigrants are Scottish and Irish nobility who brought at least part of their wealth with them. (14)

Italic League troops based in Tuscany begin to march into Genoese territory to “restore order and peace”. Savoy, Spain and Austria are alarmed by this aggressive gesture, and move into position to oppose them.


1766


The crop blight finally begins to slow down, but the famine will still take some time to end.


Hudson Bay is the first colony to succeed in its uprisings, as the English military presence there was relatively small. Though they do not break ties with the Crown, they become de facto independent and self-governing.


The English army finds little success in attempting to crush the revolts. Though the rebels are poorly equipped and obviously underfed, they have a broad base of support, and the army cannot yet supply itself on North American soil. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy has been redeployed to the West Indies, but many of the islands are self-sufficient, making blockades relatively ineffective. France also begins to covertly supply the rebels, especially in Quebec and the Caribbean, and sells arms to the Caledonians. (15)


The c confrontation over Genoa intensifies as the pro-Italic faction gains the upper hand. However, Spain, Austria and Savoy have their hands tied--with the Pope lending his support to the Italic League, taking action to oppose it will effectively place them in opposition to the Papacy--a non-starter for these fervently Catholic nations.


Morocco’s centralization efforts lead to the creation of a “tribal council” of local chieftains and leaders which will advise the Sultan.


1767


New, unblighted harvests grow in North America for the first time in several years, partly alleviating the famine. Though a few of the rebels stand down, many are now committed to their cause, having dedicated too much to it to back down now. This also has little effect on the West Indies, whose economic crisis was unrelated to the famine, or Caledonia, which is politically motivated.


The Dutch begin secretly subsidizing the Australian syncretic tribes in order to create a potential buffer against the Portuguese in Australia.


The Siberian tribes repel a second attempt at a Russian invasion, though not without suffering large numbers of casualties.


Zanzibar begins supporting warlords in southern Ethiopia in the hopes of creating one or more client states there. (16)


Help comes to the anti-Italic faction from an unusual source: the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans have watched the rise of Naples and the Italic League with alarm, and have no wish to see a strong Italian alliance form just across the Adriatic from them, especially not one containing its old enemy Venice. (17)


1768


It is quickly becoming apparent to King Richard, his cabinet, and the Parliament that England simply does not have enough troops to restore order to its colonies, especially as they begin to feel the effects of the end of the famine. Many in Parliament are loath to withdraw, but though Richard agrees with their position, he also has no wish to see England become bogged down in a long-term colonial proxy war with France. He gives the order to begin a retreat from North America.


Morocco, having gained a measure of unity and stability, turns outward once again. A plan is hatched to facilitate the creation of a Fulo client or vassal in order to project power in West Africa and improve trade with Ashanti.


Zanzibar’s clients make quick progress in Ethiopia, but are not stable enough yet to form a true state.


Thanks to Ottoman aid to the Sedevacantists, the Genoese Crisis becomes a stalemate.


1769


As the English withdraw, several new states begin to coalesce from the chaos in North America:


  • Though most of the Hudson Bay colonists still profess loyalty to the Crown, “Borealia” and “Hudsonia” come into use among some pro-independence thinkers.

  • Quebec achieves its aim of independence, taking over its eponymous region as well as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

  • The New England colonies, eastern New Jersey, and New York (18) stick together, though debate persists about whether to call the resulting entity “New England” or to choose another name (with “Columbia” being the most popular alternative).

  • Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and western New Jersey unite to form the Federation of Atlantia.

  • The Southern colonies of Carolina and Georgia become the Union of Hesperia.

  • The Kingdom of Caledonia under James Stuart is able to assert its own independence as well.

  • Like their uprisings, the fate of the Caribbean islands varies. Those that fell to slave revolts largely join the Antilles. The Bahamas, along with the Turks and Caicos, join Hesperia. Jamaica becomes independent, taking control of the Cayman Islands as well.

The Mughals are well established on the Andaman Islands, building on their existent trade connections with the Portuguese outposts in India to increase their revenues.


The Chun, having partially stabilized their economy, resume their offensive against the Qing, attempting to take North China for themselves.


Various parts of Genoese territory have been locked down by specific factions. Sedevacantists and the pro-Habsburg faction hold the mainland in a loose alliance, with the former controlling Albenga and its surroundings and the latter holding the actual city of Genoa. Meanwhile, Corsica has become a stronghold for the Italic faction.


1770


The new North American nations try to find their footing. Most are lucky enough to have preexisting legislatures to rally around, but confusion arises over the jurisdiction of each. They are also recovering from the famine and rebuilding from the destruction caused by the rebellions.


The Kingdom of Caledonia begins to adopt inoculation as a solution for various tropical diseases present in the Central American jungle. (19)


The Chun Dynasty’s forces advance north in a lightning strike against the Qing.


After a great deal of hasty and tense diplomacy, the powers involved in the Genoese Crisis decide to negotiate a compromise. The solution that is produced is a partition of Genoa: the city will remain a free republic (now Sedevacantist-controlled); pro-Habsburg Albenga will be added to the Duchy of Milan; and Corsica will become part of the Kingdom of Naples. Like the Congress of Nice before it, it pleases almost no one, but it avoids a war and maintains a semblance of a balance of power.


The Zanzibaris begin to see results in southern Ethiopia, as the warlords secure their fiefdoms and establish actual governments.


1771


Morocco’s intervention in the Fulo states gets underway, in a mirror of Zanzibar’s actions on the other side of the continent.


Caledonia begins to exploit the trade goods it possesses, such as tropical wood and exotic fruit (20). Its position in Central America makes it uniquely able to serve as a link between the East and West Indies trade networks, without the expense of shipping goods overland through Mexico or South America.


Representatives from the post-colonial nations come together to arbitrate land claims and border disputes. Delegates from the Twin Confederations (as some are beginning to call them) are also present.


The Chun march triumphantly into Beijing, pushing the Qing back into Manchuria. However, there is disagreement about their course of action--some believe they should attempt to conquer Manchuria entirely, while others support a halt to establish their control over North China.


Spain attempts to use its holdings in Ceylon to bring the petty Tamil kings of southern India into its orbit.


1772


Morocco adopts a “soft-power” approach to the Fulo, using diplomatic influence and gifts of resources and technology to sway local chiefs to their side.


After a great deal of debate, the Chun army halts, allowing the Qing to retreat. Many have begun referring to the Qing simply as “Manchus”.


The Mughals are angered by Spain’s actions, but do not wish to provoke a war, since Spain has done little other than send diplomats and bribes to the Tamil kings. In order to prevent Spain from gaining too much influence, they launch a diplomatic initiative of their own to tempt them toward the Mughals.


Maguindanao and Middag form an informal alliance, in order to protect against European and Chinese aggression. (21)


New England officially changes its name to “Columbia”.


1773


The few remaining Frenchmen in Upper Louisiana are overwhelmed by a steady stream of settlers from Atlantia, Columbia, and the Northern (Iroquois-led) Tribal Confederation.


Lower Louisiana, however, is still going strong, having received a great deal of investment as one of France’s two remaining functional colonies in North America. It expands further up the Mississippi.


Several of the Australian syncretic tribes, with support from the Dutch, begin to coalesce into a single entity.


The Anglo-American nations’ governments take shape. Quebec, Atlantia, and Jamaica opt for parliamentary systems. Hesperia is led by a President and a unicameral legislature. Columbia is similar to Hesperia, but bicameral. Hudsonia has not yet adopted a form of government because it is still technically a colony, but pro-independence sentiment is rising there as well.


1774


The Chun take the time to absorb North China, ensuring a smooth transfer of power. The civil structure of the conquered area is left largely intact--most officials are even allowed to keep their positions provided that they swear an oath of loyalty to the new dynasty. (22)


Despite their resistance to the Russians, the Siberians know they cannot stave off defeat forever. They hope to negotiate with Russia in order to ensure that their way of life remains relatively intact.


Ashanti expands east into Yoruba lands.


Persia, knowing that the Ottomans have restored their alliance with France, revives its old efforts to align itself with the Habsburgs, the natural enemy of both. (23)


Kongo completes its conquest of its neighbors, securing the Congo Basin for itself. However, anti-Westernization factions complicate its quest to modernize.


1775


Siberian tribal leaders offer to submit to Russia on the condition that they become autonomous vassal states instead of being absorbed into the Empire directly. Russia agrees, realizing that even if it can defeat the Siberians, their new armed and organized status means that such a victory will come at great cost.


Savoy eyes the weakened Genoese Republic, hoping for a future opportunity to annex it and add the wealthy city to its domains.


The Kingdom of Caledonia makes plans for a grand engineering project, made possible by the new treatments for tropical diseases: a canal cut directly through Central America, bisecting Lake Nicaragua. (24)


Hainan has been effectively absorbed into Dai Viet, and many ethnically Vietnamese settlers are moving to the island.


  1. Its population is much higher because of the lack of Indian wars, which has also given it the chance to make some extra money by trading with them.

  2. The Tuscarora have fought side-by-side with the Carolinians and Georgians even more than the Iroquois have with the New Englanders.

  3. Again, the butterfly effect creates different royalty.

  4. I know I’m doing the “pendulum effect” thing where loss of territory in one place is offset with gains in another, but this kind of horse trading happened all the time in colonial wars--it’s not as egregious as, say, a USA that’s lost the Civil War going on to conquer Canada.

  5. Mostly because a strong anti-Persian state with claims to Oman is in the Ottomans’ best interest.

  6. I did not forget about this.

  7. IOTL, the Sedevacantists split off after the Second Vatican Council and were nowhere near as militant.

  8. Specifically, this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_leaf_rust

  9. They’re rebuilding it quickly, but I haven’t seen any sources that suggest that the shipyards in New England were up to the task of building ships of the line, and they don’t have the ones in Bombay anymore because they sold it to Portugal.

  10. Maria Teresa crowning herself “Queen of the Basques” is a very pointed statement in the direction of the King of France, but not nearly as much as if she’d claimed the crown of Navarre for herself (which she is not nearly stupid enough to try).

  11. They’re so fond of this tactic that “Neapolitan” actually becomes slang for “undercover agent” in some places by ITTL 2017.

  12. I understand that I’m straining plausibility somewhat with this, but I hope it’s not totally ASB.

  13. So much so that they become an important part of the Atlantian perception of their revolt for years into the future.

  14. Imagine literally every single Jacobite rising from OTL, all happening in the same place at the same time.

  15. In some places they also have Native American support, having treated them far better than they did IOTL.

  16. Ethiopia was in the middle of its Zemene Mesafint period during this time, similar to Japan’s Sengoku Jidai.

  17. “B-but it’s not like I like you or anything!”

  18. Which identifies much more with New England ITTL.

  19. It’s been around 70 years since it was first introduced, so they’re actually a little behind the curve.

  20. I may or may not have been playing too much Victoria 2.

  21. They can’t really take any colonizers on their own, but they have amiable relations anyway.

  22. China’s civil structure doesn’t seem to change a lot from dynasty to dynasty, but I’m not an expert in Chinese history, so I’m not sure how accurate this assessment is.

  23. They tried it in the 1500s without much success. Here, since the Persians are stronger than OTL but still threatened, they’re giving it another shot.

  24. And you thought that thread tag was a joke!
 
State of the World: 1775
AH map.png


Changes:

Caledonia now Mexican minor color.

Romania and East Siberian tribes exist as vassals of Ottomans and Russia respectively.

Southern Ethiopian microstates now Zanzibari vassals.

Colonial expansions and conquests recorded.

Italy map now reflects changes as a result of the Genoa conference and the Pope joining the Italic League.

Antilles now surrounded by a sea border for better visibility.

Spain divided to reflect new kingdoms.

Ex-colonial states in North America exist (Atlantia is Norse Successor color because I ran out of colors to use, Hudsonia is British Dominion color because it hasn't declared independence yet).



Also, I just realized that I mentioned Quebec as "Anglo-American" along with the other new countries.
...Oops. o_O
 
North America: 1775
North America AH map resized.jpg


A closer look at North America in TTL 1775.

Key:

  1. Hudsonia
  2. Quebec
  3. French Newfoundland
  4. English Newfoundland
  5. Iroquois (the Great Lakes Confederacy)
  6. Federation of Columbia
  7. Upper Louisiana
  8. Republic of Atlantia
  9. Lower Louisiana
  10. Cherokee/Tuscarora/Seminole (the Southern Confederacy)
  11. Spanish Florida
  12. Union of Hesperia
  13. New Spain
  14. Jamaica
  15. Caledonia
  16. New Granada
  17. Republic of the Antilles
  18. Brazil
I've also posted this to the Map Thread with explanations of the different countries for people who haven't been reading this TL, so head on over there for a version of this map with a much more in-depth key.
 
Columbia flag
Columbia flag 2.png


The flag of Columbia. I had two alternate versions where the white stripes were gold and red, but the first one looked like a bumblebee and the second one looked like a fascist flag, so this is the one I went with.
 
Atlantia flag
atlantia flag.png


The flag of Atlantia. The symmetry and the front-and-center position of the balanced scales emphasize Atlantia's liberalism (it was formed from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, all of which are bastions of religious tolerance and political freedom ITTL) and the philosophy of equal treatment under the law.
 
I feel like Hudsonia is too small in terms of demographics to stay independent. I could see Québec/Canada making a grab for it, since it opens up access to the west (not like having the Great Lakes but still)
BTW, since the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee have all of the area around Montreal, do they also have some of the southern Canadian settlers as well?
 
I feel like Hudsonia is too small in terms of demographics to stay independent. I could see Québec/Canada making a grab for it, since it opens up access to the west (not like having the Great Lakes but still)
BTW, since the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee have all of the area around Montreal, do they also have some of the southern Canadian settlers as well?
I didn't really consider either of those points, but they make sense.

Hudsonia's small population is part of the reason its independence movement wasn't and isn't as strong. The mostly Anglo Hudsonians won't want to be under French Québécois rule, but there are ways of bolstering its population, some of which will be explored in coming updates.

The GLC does have a minority European population. Some are fur traders and trappers who literally went native. Some of the colonists left for Quebec, New England, and the Mid-Atlantic as the Confederation moved in, but those who were better disposed toward Native Americans decided to stay. Many of these, especially the French ones, are now moving further west toward Upper Louisiana.
 
I didn't really consider either of those points, but they make sense.

Hudsonia's small population is part of the reason its independence movement wasn't and isn't as strong. The mostly Anglo Hudsonians won't want to be under French Québécois rule, but there are ways of bolstering its population, some of which will be explored in coming updates.
The other thing to point out with Hudsonia is that the region has little agriculture, very poor land with rocky or swampy soil, is very frigid in winter, and even today has a population around 100,000 (that's with a lot of import coming from the south).
As a European Nation it has the appeal of the White Sea region in Russia. However there were populations of Cree and other tribes that seasonally moved through these regions. Pull them into the system and you have a bit more demographically.

They still run the risk of becoming someone's hinterland, Québecois or Iroquois. Doesn't mean it will be a peaceful hinterland, but it runs high risk of subjegation.

I do like all the different nations going on in the TL! What kind of modernization or innovation are you referring to when you talk about Kongo and Ashante?
 
The other thing to point out with Hudsonia is that the region has little agriculture, very poor land with rocky or swampy soil, is very frigid in winter, and even today has a population around 100,000 (that's with a lot of import coming from the south).
As a European Nation it has the appeal of the White Sea region in Russia. However there were populations of Cree and other tribes that seasonally moved through these regions. Pull them into the system and you have a bit more demographically.

They still run the risk of becoming someone's hinterland, Québecois or Iroquois. Doesn't mean it will be a peaceful hinterland, but it runs high risk of subjegation.

I do like all the different nations going on in the TL! What kind of modernization or innovation are you referring to when you talk about Kongo and Ashante?
Kongo's the only one that's actively trying to modernize. They're buying a lot of weapons and machinery from Europeans, and they've brought in advisors to help them organize and equip their military and to build up an industrial base (to the extent that they can in 1775). The Kongo is pretty rich with natural resources, and they're trying to figure out the best way to exploit that without getting overrun by technologically advanced invaders.

Ashanti is focusing on diminishing the impact of slavery on its demographics, because it's been much more seriously affected by this than Kongo has. The slave trade is a lot less prevalent now due to the North American colonies having banned it and the Caribbean being partially controlled by anti-slave powers such as Hesperia and the Antilles, so Ashanti has a little more wiggle room to throttle back the slave trade even more. Once the drain on their population lets up, then they can start to modernize.
 
Time to conquer some of India! (1776-1800)
Hi again! Here's another big, beefy 25-year update. There's a lot going on here, so feel free to ask questions or let me know if you think something is implausible or if I seem to have dropped a plot thread (which I probably have; I have an entire world to keep track of here). It's very late where I am right now, so I'll post the map tomorrow.

Enjoy!

1776


Prussia, fresh off its victory in Pomerania, prepares to press its claims on Mecklenburg.


The delicate diplomatic game between the Mughals and the Spanish ends, and the situation stabilizes with about half of the Tamil kings under the influence of each (though all are still independent).


Zaporizhian Cossacks in the north of the Crimean Khanate begin agitating to break free of their Tatar overlords and join the Hetmanate of Ukraine.


Russia, Persia and the Habsburgs have formed a loosely-aligned bloc opposed to the Ottomans, who are allied to the French and friendly with the Mughals and Zanzibar.


Maria Teresa dies. Her son, Carlos III (1), is crowned King of Spain and of its subsidiary kingdoms.


1777


The Pope follows in Maria Teresa’s footsteps only a few months after her. His chosen successor, Pius VI (2), is a strong supporter of Papal participation in the Italic League.


A reactionary uprising takes place in Kongo.


Caledonia leverages the considerable wealth of its inhabitants to hire laborers for its canal project.


Prussia invades Mecklenburg; its troops move west toward Rostock.


Hudsonia searches for ways to increase its population, as it is currently the least populous of all the North American nations. The first policy implemented is a financial and land incentive to attract both Danish settlers from Greenland and the Cree and other local natives.


1778


Upper Louisiana has been de facto annexed by the Great Lakes Confederation (2), Columbia, and Atlantia.


The Mecklenburgers are quickly pushed back, but the Austrian Habsburgs are alarmed by Prussia’s naked aggression against a fellow state of the Holy Roman Empire.


The Kongolese army mobilizes to defeat the insurrection.


Pius VI and Henry (or Enrico) I enter negotiations with the other Italian states to increase the centralization of the Italic League.


Indentured servants and hired laborers are brought to Caledonia. There is no shortage of available labor--many in the Caribbean are quite happy to work on a Nicaraguan canal, knowing that it will greatly enrich them as well.


Sultan Mehmet V dies. His successor, Mustafa III, is far more warlike, and less inclined to caution.


1779


Prussia finishes its conquest of Mecklenburg, but Austria makes it clear that further expansionism on their part will not be tolerated, fraying relations between the two countries.


A joint Russian-Siberian colonization venture is set up in Alaska.


The modern equipment and military drills of which Kongo has availed itself pays off spectacularly, as the New Kongo Army acquits itself extremely well in combat with the rebels.


Construction on the Nicaragua Canal officially begins.


After a series of agreements and treaties, a customs union encompassing all of the Italic League states is created.


1780


Russia, to the surprise of all involved, is revealed to have been covertly supporting the Zaporizhian Cossack rebels, having decided on a policy of courting Ukraine in order to change it from an Ottoman-supported buffer state against Russia to a Russian-supported buffer against the Ottomans. The Ukrainian Cossacks have also been sending aid and equipment to the rebels. The Turks are obviously enraged by this revelation.


James Stuart dies. His son, Charles Stuart, also known as the “Young Pretender” or the “Bonnie Prince”, is crowned King of Caledonia.


Tokugawa Isamu establishes a diplomatic mission to the Joseon Kingdom, intending to form both an alliance and an additional trade link for European goods.


The reactionary rebellion in Kongo ends, and the government sets about reestablishing stability.


1781


Mustafa III, against the suggestions of his advisors, issues an ultimatum to Russia to withdraw from Zaporozhye or face war. Russia refuses, so the Ottomans declare war on them and on Ukraine, moving troops into the Caucasus and eastern Romania. However, in doing so, they set off a chain of events beyond their control:


  • Persia and Austria, having made alliances against the Ottomans, declare war in support of Russia.

  • France honors its alliance with the Ottomans, intending to humble its old enemy Austria and possibly gain land in Italy. Bavaria supports them in the hope of gaining Tyrol for itself, but Switzerland remains neutral, as Savoy is not involved in the war.

  • Spain joins with its codynasts in Austria in the war against France, in order to capture Haiti, Lower Louisiana, and possibly parts of France proper.

  • The Mughals, realizing that the Persians will shortly be occupied in Mesopotamia, marshal their forces to invade Baluchistan and Afghanistan.

In later years, the series of conflicts touched off by this event come to be known as the Eurasian Wars. (3)


Knowing that Genoa is held by the Sedevacantists, Savoy sends a secret diplomatic mission to the Holy See, requesting papal permission to annex it. Pius VI agrees, on the condition that the daughter of the Duke of Savoy is betrothed to King Henry’s son, Charles.


The Aboriginal syncretic tribes coalesce around a single leader, a local chief named Janbah. He courts the Dutch, knowing that they are his best chance of resisting Portuguese conquest.


1782


The fronts of the Eurasian Wars begin to take shape. (4)


  • Spain attacks southwestern France, attempting to induce a Basque rebellion.

  • France moves on Flanders, Spain’s only remaining Low Countries possession.

  • A second French army marches across southern Germany to link up with the Bavarians.

  • Lower Louisianan militias besiege Mobile.

  • The border between Haiti and Santo Domingo ignites with a series of probing skirmishes.

  • Russia launches an offensive toward Azov.

  • Persian troops invade Mesopotamia.

  • The Ottomans funnel additional troops into the Caucasus, attempting to stabilize Zaporozhye and secure the flanks of their forces in Romania while also defending against Russia. They also dispatch an army from Baghdad to repel the Persians.

  • The Mughals decide to be patient and wait until Persia is fully committed to the Mesopotamian campaign before attacking; however, this gives the Persians time to prepare in the west.

The Chun Dynasty, now solidly established as the rulers of China, turns their attention toward the territories they lost during the wars against the Qing. They begin with a demand for Dai Viet to return its rightful territory on Hainan.


Savoy moves into Genoa, and the royal marriage takes place, to the horror of Austria and France. However, since both are engaged in a massive war, they can spare few resources to prevent this eventuality.


1783


Spain wins several critical victories in southern France and Flanders, but is unable to make significant progress in the colonies.


French and Bavarian forces fail to capture the critical Alpine passes into and through Tyrol.


The Russians are beaten back at Azov, but the Persians advance quickly into Mesopotamia.


Habsburg and Russian forces are well-supplied and fed due to the high volumes of iron and grain being exported from the Ukrainian Hetmanate. (5)


Janbah begins calling his kingdom “Yoyko”, meaning “the mountain”, trying to evoke an image of stability and strength. (6)


Dai Viet offers to negotiate a settlement over Hainan. Some in the Chun court are against this, but many see an opportunity to reclaim their lands with no further bloodshed.


1784


The Nicaragua Canal proceeds slowly, but surely.


Conscription is instituted in New Spain.


Russia decides not to try to force the Caucasus, realizing that it would be enormously costly in both money and lives. They instead focus on Romania, joining their Habsburg allies in a pincer movement aimed at “liberating” it from Ottoman hands.


Persia’s Mesopotamian campaign finally meets Ottoman resistance. Once the news reaches the Mughals, it is decided that now is the time to strike, and they invade Afghanistan and Baluchistan from Punjab.


Spain besieges Calais and marches toward Bearn even as Mobile is in danger of falling to the French.


The Franco-Bavarian army decides on an alternate strategy: pushing west into Bohemia.


The main neutral powers--England, the Netherlands, and Portugal--are greatly enriched by supplying both sides of the conflict.


Dai Viet offers to give up Hainan in return for Chun support for Dai Vietian campaigns in Laos (7) and Cambodia, and an assurance the many Vietnamese settlers there will be treated fairly. The trade-off is agreed to, and Hainan is returned to the Chun.


1785


Unrest breaks out among the Mayans in the Yucatan, who are angry that they are being sent to fight despite being treated as second-class citizens.


France sends diplomats to Hesperia and the Southern Confederation, requesting alliances against the Spanish. Hesperia agrees readily, as the Iberian War is still within living memory and many of its citizens still perceive Western Florida as their own territory, stolen from them by Spain. The Southern Confederation balks at first, but decides that the utility of gaining Floridian ports and a friendly neighbor in Lower Louisiana (and possibly even outright French support) is too great to ignore. With their aid, Mobile is finally captured, and Pensacola follows it not long after.


The Persian army in Mesopotamia is finally halted by the Ottomans, but they fail to repel the invaders entirely. Meanwhile, the Mughals’ advance into Persia is stopped cold in a series of battles in eastern Afghanistan.


The Ottomans, with an extreme effort and a large commitment of troops, manage to hold off the Russo-Austrian attack on Romania at great cost, thanks in part to the withdrawal of many Austrian soldiers to check the French and Bavarian advance.


Cossack rebels in Zaporozhye continue to gain ground, and Ukrainian troops move in in support of the revolt.


Russia has firmly established itself in Alaska (with many Siberians living in colonies there).


1786


The Spanish, hoping to draw off pressure from their Persian allies, use their Tamil clients to launch deniable raids against Mughal outposts in the Deccan.


With the loss of Mobile and Pensacola, the rest of Florida follows shortly thereafter, and the French in Haiti are beginning to advance.


However, the situation in Europe is far grimmer for the French, as Calais is captured by Spain. (8)


Russia realizes that the Ottomans are exhausted from fighting a multi-front war. They prepare another campaign against Azov.


The Mughals are slowly but surely pushed out of Afghanistan and Baluchistan.


1787


The Mughals and Ottomans respond to the Spanish-backed Tamil raids by operating out of Zanzibar in a similar manner, attacking Spanish Mozambique.


Bearn follows in the footsteps of Calais, being captured and brought under Spanish control.


An Ottoman force, containing a disproportionately large number of Janissaries, meets the Russians in combat at the Second Battle of Azov and is soundly defeated. As Zaporozhye is in open rebellion and partially occupied by Ukraine, Azov was the Ottomans’ last outpost north of the Black Sea outside the Crimean Peninsula; its capture forces them to withdraw.


Raids and counter-raids escalate in the Deccan and Mozambique. The Indian theater taxes the Mughals’ already wavering strength, while the Zanzibaris grow bolder and bolder as their attacks meet with more success.


The unrest in the Yucatan escalates into a Mayan uprising.


Persian troops enter Punjab.


With Zanzibar distracted in the south, its Ethiopian client states begin to lose stability.


1788


Tokugawa Isamu dies, leaving behind a Japan far less isolated than it was at the beginning of his reign.


A number of immigrants flee to North and South America to escape the devastation of the Eurasian Wars, increasing the population of many of the nations and colonies there. Even Hudsonia is able to see modest growth by incentivizing potential colonists with vast land grants (taking advantage of the one resource it has in abundance).


A particularly enterprising Zanzibari raider named Ikeno Badru carves out a small parcel of land from Mozambique for himself, ruling it as his own de-facto kingdom.


A French attempt to retake Calais fails.


France sends what funds it can spare to support the Mayans.


Austria takes advantage of the Ottomans’ weakness to invade Croatia.


The Fulo Kingdom patronized by Morocco is prospering, and its leaders have been given seats on the Moroccan tribal council.


As Spanish-backed raids escalate and the Persians advance, the Mughals are in dire straits.


1789


Ethiopia begins to fall back into warlordism as the influence of Zanzibar wanes, but some local rulers are inspired by the example set by the Zanzibaris to try to stabilize their kingdoms.


Austria is advancing on several fronts, in Croatia, Bohemia, and Tyrol (crossing the border into Bavaria in the latter case).


Ukrainian reinforcements arrive in Zaporozhye, shoring up the defenses there.


The situation in Spain and France changes little, as France’s armies are stretched thin and Spain is preoccupied holding its gains.


New Spanish militias attempt to suppress the Mayan revolt, but fail, as they are not accustomed to fighting in the jungle, and the Mayans are somewhat better equipped than ordinary provincial rebels due to French aid, limited though it was. (9)


Middag opts to willingly submit to the Chun, on the condition that it becomes a tributary state rather than being annexed outright like Hainan, maintaining a relative state of autonomy and its local customs.


The Mughal Empire’s decline has allowed Ayutthaya and Taungoo to free themselves from its influence.


1790


The Eurasian Wars slowly wind down, being resolved by a series of peace treaties one conflict at a time.


  • Florida is partitioned between Lower Louisiana, the Southern Confederation, and Hesperia, Santo Domingo is ceded to the French, and the Mayans are granted independence at the behest of France, but Spain gains prizes of its own: Bearn and Calais. (10) It is also able to sweep the remaining Tamil kingdoms into its sphere of influence.

  • Bavaria loses a small amount of land in the south and, like in the War of the Spanish Succession, pays a large indemnity to Austria.

  • The Ottomans are even worse off, losing Azov to Russia, Zaporozhye to Ukraine, eastern Mesopotamia to Persia, and Croatia and Dalmatia to Austria. The sting of the defeat causes many in the Empire, including the Sultan himself, to evaluate their priorities. (11)

  • Persia, in addition to its gains from the Ottomans, conquers parts of western Punjab.

The Mughals’ defeat brings many ethnic and religious tensions to the surface: many who were willing to put them aside while the empire was strong and united are not as willing to do so in a time of weakness.


Jamaica makes an agreement with the government of Caledonia to subsidize the construction of the Nicaragua Canal in exchange for a small portion of the revenues.


Dai Viet begins its campaign against the Kingdom of Luang Prabang, one of the two main Laotian kingdoms, supplied with money and arms from the Chun.


1791


Small rebellions break out in several regions in India, especially in the Deccan (12) and Rajputana (13).


Dai Viet faces heavy resistance in Luang Prabang.


The Southern Confederation is the beneficiary of a large windfall; its new ports in Florida give it access to the lucrative Caribbean market and, more generally, to maritime trade as a whole. However, most of the tribes of the Confederation lack a nautical tradition, meaning that they largely have to rely on chartered ships and hired sailors.


Henry I dies, leaving Naples to Victor I and his Savoyard wife, Giovanna.


1792


Spain dispatches an expedition to Mozambique to dislodge Ikeno Badru from their lands.


The Qing remnant, now effectively the nation of Manchuria, begins to send large numbers of settlers to Sakhalin.


In addition to the revolts in India, subahdars, or provincial governors, begin seizing power for themselves, especially in outlying regions.


Gold is discovered within the borders of Yoyko, attracting many settlers to the Kingdom...along with the unwelcome attention of its Portuguese neighbors.


After a long year of stalemate, Dai Viet advances into Luang Prabang. However, the unusually heavy resistance is a wake-up call to their generals, who realize that a new strategy is needed to improve their military capabilities.


1793


Royal authority in the Mughal Empire rapidly deteriorates as rebellions, ambitious governors, and rogue generals gain in strength. The country is spiralling downward into civil war.


Badru proves to be a far wilier opponent than the Spanish expected, outmaneuvering and ambushing larger forces on several occasions. The government of Zanzibar maintains that it has nothing to do with his actions, but Spain remains unconvinced. (14)


Sultan Mustafa III is chastened by the severe defeat dealt to the Ottomans, but he also recognizes that the loss presents him with an unusual opportunity. With the Janissaries severely weakened from their losses at the Second Battle of Azov, he may be able to finally curtail them without risking being overthrown.


France and Spain, having suffered large losses to their armies during the Eurasian Wars, step up their recruitment of Irish regiments. (15)


Yoyko decides that it would rather not fall under Portuguese sovereignty (as many of its citizens are New Guineans who fled their persecution or slaves who escaped from their colonies). Janbah sets a portion of the mined gold aside, and uses it to hire Dutch mercenaries to help protect his kingdom.


1794


A unique phenomenon takes place in Hesperia: a woman, named Amelia Walker, runs for public office. She is defeated by a wide margin, but not nearly as large as was predicted, drawing attention both domestically and among Hesperia’s neighbors. (16)


The various princedoms and warlords’ fiefs in Ethiopia start to coalesce into larger states, thanks in part to the reforms adopted by several forward-thinking leaders.


The Mughal army is able to restore order within the areas surrounding Delhi and Jaipur, but they are stretched to their limit even by that task, as much of the country outside that area has descended into internecine warfare.


Mustafa III almost issues a decree ordering the immediate disbandment of the Janissaries, but his advisors convince him (with great difficulty) to adopt a more cautious course of action: ensure the loyalty of the regular army, so that when the Janissaries revolt as a result of their loss of power, a strong force is available to stop them.


Ikeno Badru is able to force the small Spanish expedition to retreat, but he is unsure whether they will retaliate with a larger one.


1796


Sweden, taking advantage of its small Skagerrak coastline to bypass the Oresund toll, sends a colonial expedition of its own to Greenland.


Influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, a movement begins in Poland to make the delegates to the Sejm popularly elected instead of chosen from the nobility.


Mustafa III quietly builds support for his position within the non-Janissary forces and slows down Janissary recruitment to prevent them from recouping their losses.


The Spanish, as expected, return in force to Mozambique. This time, however, their numbers are too great for Badru’s small and technologically inferior army. But he is not captured or killed--instead, he flees to neighboring Imerina.


Persia and Spain take advantage of the collapse of the Mughals to move further into India, enraging many on the subcontinent.


1797


Victor I dies after an unusually short reign of only six years. His son, Henry II, inherits not only the Kingdom of Naples but also Savoy, placing the two realms in personal union. Austria is nearly apoplectic, and France is only prevented from reaching the same heights of distress by the fact that the union has occurred under a monarch of the House of Bourbon.


Having strengthened his position, Mustafa III finally issues the fateful edict disbanding the Janissary Corps. However, his losses in the Eurasian Wars mean that his support in the army is not as large as he had hoped. When the Janissaries rebel, he is caught off guard by the force of the uprising and the relative paucity of loyal partisans.


The Polish Republican movement gains in strength.


Sweden’s colony in Greenland grows apace with Denmark-Norway’s, to the annoyance of the latter.


1798


Badru starts recruiting an army in Imerina, centered around a loyal core of followers that fled there with him.


The first high-pressure steam engine is built in Atlantia.


A Polish general named Tadeusz Kościuszko emerges as a Republican leader, galvanizing the movement. (17)


The Janissary uprising continues, pushing Mustafa III’s troops back. But just when all seems lost, the Sultan emerges from the palace in person to rally his forces, exhorting the soldiers to fight on and firing a pistol at the rebelling Janissaries. The incident will become one of the defining moments of Turkish history. (18)


Much like Ethiopia, the warring factions in India begin to condense. However, unlike in Ethiopia, they do so roughly along ethno-national lines: factions coalesce around the Deccan, Bengal, the remnants of Punjab, and Gujarat.


1799


Yucatan establishes friendly relations with its closest non-Spanish neighbors, Jamaica and Caledonia.


After twenty years, a massive expenditure of money, and more than a few lives lost, the Nicaragua Canal is finally completed.


Atlantian women are among the first to take notice of the actions of Amelia Walker, and soon the budding feminist movement has spread to the Mid-Atlantic nation. Atlantia’s self-professed ideals of equality become a rhetorical weapon on their side.


Austria is deeply concerned at the rapid ascendancy of the Italic League, and by the fact that the Duchy of Milan is now surrounded by potentially hostile powers on all sides. They consider what course of action they should take to check the League’s power.


Badru finishes recruiting in Imerina, and sets sail for Mozambique once again.


1800


Acting on a whim, Janbah purchases a steam engine at extravagant personal expense to bring to Yoyko as a curiosity.


The situation in India has begun to stabilize. A Deccani nation (occasionally referred to as Dravidashtra) controls the south of the peninsula, Bengal has become independent in the northeast, a Mughal remnant occupies the north, and Gujarat has broken away in the west. European colonizers are looking greedily at the region, as it has become divided and possibly ripe for conquest for the first time in centuries.


Russian/Siberian Alaska expands eastward.


Maguindanao is beginning to worry about its proximity to the Dutch; given the long period of peace between the Netherlands and Portugal, playing the two off against one another may no longer be an option. Diplomats are sent to Maguindanao’s fellow Southeast Asian sultanates in Aceh and Malacca in order to gain allies in case the Dutch attack.


Badru arrives in Mozambique with a fairly large army, to the surprise of the Spanish there. He sets to work creating a fortified beachhead before the local troops can expel him again.


  1. Different royals were born once again.

  2. Not the OTL one.

  3. European monarchs’ habit of reusing regnal names makes distinguishing OTL and ATL historical figures kind of annoying, doesn’t it?

  4. You get a two-front war, and you get a two-front war, and you get a two-front war!

  5. Remember the iron mines?

  6. Finding decent Aboriginal translations is a nightmare. I don’t even know if that’s the right language for northern Australia. If anyone has a better idea for a name, please, let me know.

  7. Or rather, what would in OTL become Laos.

  8. I know the 1775 map shows it belonging to the Netherlands. That’s an error. They took land from Spain, and Calais belonged to France.

  9. The few militiamen with actual combat experience got it fighting in Louisiana and Florida (which, while quite wet in the south, is not a tropical rainforest).

  10. Calais is very important to France, so Spain cedes some of its New World colonies to sweeten the pot for it and ensure that they won’t fight to the bitter end.

  11. And yet still not as bad a defeat as OTL’s Great Turkish War.

  12. Which the Mughals failed to protect from the Spanish.

  13. Which the Mughals failed to protect from the Persians.

  14. It actually doesn’t, anymore--it financed the initial raid, but Badru has taken matters into his own hands and is operating on his own.

  15. Ireland is not forgotten either. It’s just that a lot of the major historical events to happen there during this period were Jacobite risings, which were all moved to Caledonia.

  16. Hesperia has had the most exposure to Spanish feminism of any of the postcolonial nations, and unlike New Granada and New Spain, has an actual elected legislature.

  17. Remember how I said some OTL historical figures would still show up? Here’s one. I wanted to explore how he would do in a PLC not ravaged by Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Plus, I just think he’s kind of underexplored in TLs.

  18. Does it strain the realm of plausibility? Yes. Do crazy things happen every now and again in any timeline? Also yes.
 
State of the World: 1800
AH map.png


Here's the 1800 map!

Changes include:
  • Colonial expansions; too many to list.
  • Aftermath of the Eurasian Wars and the breakup of the Mughal Empire.
  • Badru's rebellion in Mozambique.
  • Prussian, Dai Vietian, and Spanish conquests in Mecklenburg/Pomerania, Luang Prabang, and South India respectively.
  • Savoy now shown as Neapolitan puppet to reflect the personal union.
  • Middag shown as under Chun influence and Hainan is now Chinese once again.
  • Ethiopia changed to reflect Zanzibar's pivot south.
  • I'm not quite sure how to show the Nicaragua Canal.
  • The Spanish Low Countries-Netherlands border has been...fixed? Honestly, it kind of looks worse than before.
  • EDIT: Added the Yucatan. I knew I'd forgotten something.
 
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