A TL
Séamus an Chaca
A TL by Fearless Leader
Part I: A Fateful Decision
Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, France 1696
James Stuart, formerly James II of England was incensed
Bloody French...he thought.
Ungrateful little buggers! They botch the assassination and then THEY expect ME to bend over backwards for THEM? Louis’ attempt to assassinate the new King of England William III had failed and with it the hopes of James and his supporters across the British Isles. Seeing that James was rightly depressed Louis had been quick to offer a solution. He’d give James another kingdom, put him as the French candidate for the Kingdom of Poland.
Lately, Louis had been insistent that James take the position even though James rejected it due to the fact that it would effectively remove him as a contender for the throne he really wanted, that of England and Scotland. Some of James’ advisors claimed that Louis wanted something in return for his support of James however James easily dismissed those thoughts. The fact that he was basically “a revolt in a bottle” for Louis was more than enough compensation for the French king’s aid.
Still James’ recent problems had left him sleep deprived. Downing another swallow of wine, James glanced around the pantry for a suitable cheese before once again departing for his chambers.
Humph...he thought
One of the richest mansions in Paris and not a wheel of cheese in sight! Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he caught something, a shape too odd to be natural.
Closer inspection revealed that indeed it was cheese and furthermore the perfect cheese to complement James’ choice of wines. The only drawback being that indeed it was old and slightly dirty. In another life James would have written off the cheese as something unfit for consumption, however this was no time for judgement without a further moment’s thought James dusted off the cheese and placed a piece in his mouth savouring the odd but pleasant taste all the way to his chambers.
***
The Next Day
James awoke with a start, it had been a truly amazing dream, what had begun as just another sleepless night had been transformed by a visitation from Lady Madonna herself. In a lengthy and intricate vision Mary the Mother of Jesus had explained to James the need for him to abandon England. It was time for “The True Stuart” to follow the command of the one who gave him his Divine Right and leave his homeland for the “Promised Land” that God had given him.
In the blink of an eye it all became clear. Louis’ invitation to become a candidate for the Polish throne was no mere mortal coincidence, no it was divine providence! Turning to see that he had overslept James ran off to tell his wife Mary of his revelation and then later to inform Louis of his new decision...
(From James Stuart, The Latter Years a Study of TL: 20 000 by Henry Efferts)
From what we can observe Timeline 20 000 seems to begin to deviate from ours in the year 1696. It appears as if instead of refusing King Louis XIV’s offer to become the French candidate for Polish throne, James accepts it, partially due to what he claims was a vision of Mary the Mother of Jesus telling him to accept the offer.
So, motivated by religious zeal James set about preparing to assume his God-given position as the King of Poland. The election was close in this timeline just as it was in our timeline due to the plethora of candidates for the throne. Just as in our timeline the French candidate won the majority of the votes so did James Stuart. In our timeline however the French Candidate was beaten to Poland by Augustus II of Saxony however this timeline saw James and his family beat the Herculean Saxon and expel him from the country.
Crowned James I of Poland or Jakub I, James Stuart set about solidifying his reign in his new home and making alliances. One of his most prominent alliances would be with the family of the previous monarch John Sobieski pledging his son James Francis Stuart to be married to one of his granddaughters Maria Casmira Sobieski. James would also continue the war of the Holy League leading the forces of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth personally. This would prove to have a great affect on things to come as James would endear himself to the troops as would his young son James Francis Stuart.
Following the war of the Holy League, James would continue his policy of internal reforms. It would be during this time that James would reject the offer of joining the Anti-Swedish Alliance and remain neutral in what would become the Great Northern War. James’ reforms would also prove quite popular as he began to streamline the bulky government of the Polish Commonwealth.
James would continue working hard until his death in 1703 from a cerebral haemorrhage identical to his cause of death in our timeline. James’ death would see yet another scramble for the throne of Poland. Almost 20 candidates popped out of the woodwork to vie for the throne. However it would be an extensive campaign backed by France and Austria and several Polish noble families that would see James’ son James Francis Stuart elected to the throne of Poland with his mother Mary of Modena to act as regent until he reached majority.
The Stuart dynasty had re-established itself in Poland just as it reached it’s dying days in England. The effects of the former would have effects that would shake the entire course of history. For the English Catholics as well as his supporters throughout the British Isles James would become famed as Séamus an Chaca or “James the Shit” for his betrayal of their cause. Yet many in Poland would regard James as one of their greatest monarchs as his policies and that of his descendants would result in Poland remaining a substantial power in Eastern Europe....
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(From The Reign James Francis Stuart, Jakub II of Poland...)
The ascension of James Francis Stuart or Jakub II of Poland, though heavily influenced by his father was mainly a result of his own popularity with the Polish nobles and that of his mother Mary of Modena. This in addition to major financial backing from several European powers would result in his narrow victory and the continuation of his father’s policies to a point.
James’ early reign would in reality be that of Mary of Modena who acted as Regent for James until he reached majority. In the end it would be her decision to ally with Charles XII of Sweden against the Commonwealth’s traditional foe of Russia and enter the Great Northern War. Having forced Denmark out of the war only a year prior, Charles was now free to face Russia alone now with the aid of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The combined Swedish-Commonwealth forces would prove to be too much for the ill-equipped Russian Hordes and would deliver defeat after defeat to Peter I’s armies resulting in the Treaty of Riga that saw Russia cede significant lands to both Sweden and Poland ending the Great Northern War in 1707. Ironically, though it had been Mary of Modena who initiated Commonwealth involvement in the Great Northern War it would be James II who would take credit for the short victorious war having reached majority in 1707.
Revitalized and rejuvenated by their victory in the Great Northern War, the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth began to consolidate it’s new lands and continue a course of internal reform. With the support of Charles XII (who had married James’ sister Louise Stuart following the conclusion of the war) James began to streamline the government of the Polish Lithuanian commonwealth and restore some power to the Monarchy....
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(From Peter I: The later years...)
Following the defeat of the Russo-Danish Alliance in The Great Northern war and the loss of the Karelian Peninsula to Sweden and several provinces to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Peter was a broken man. His great gambit had failed and Russia had been yet again denied a port on the Baltic. Yet there was something in Peter that refused to give in some hint of greatness that allowed him to press on. Continuing his policy of internal reform, Peter turned his eyes south to the Ottoman Empire and his avenue of expansion there.
1716 saw Peter declare war on the Ottoman Empire beginning yet another Russo-Turkish war joining the Habsburgs in their war against the Ottomans. This time the Russians would sport an army far superior to that which had fought in the Great Northern War 9 years earlier. A much better supported Russian Army was able to drive the Ottomans from the Crimea and free Moldavia from Ottoman rule and establish it as a Russian vassal.
Victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1716-1718 would see Russia established as a fairly major power and would see the beginnings of an Russo-Austrian rivalry in the Balkans. The combined loss of land to both the Russians and Austria was not able to be offset by the re-conquest of Morea and various gains in Persia. Following this war the Ottoman Empire would continue to decline eventually becoming the Sick man of Europe.
Peter’s health would begin to deteriorate following the Russo-Turkish War resulting in his death in 1720. He would be succeeded by his son Alexei who would be crowned Emperor Alexei I of Russia.
...
(From "An Examination of TL 20,000" by Henry Efferts)
As we close out our look at the time surrounding the point of divergence of TL 20,000 it seems to have altered drastically in only a few short years. James Stuart and his progeny’s influence resulted in Poland joining The Great Northern War on Sweden’s side and the preservation of both the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden as major powers thereby preventing Russia from ascending to dominance. Meanwhile Peter turned his ambitions south resulting in a more successful Russo-Turkish War.
Meanwhile in the British Isles, supporters of James and his progeny (Jacobites) as they were called laid low. Several insignificant uprisings were launched but failed to gain momentum. The Stuart dynasty in Britain died with a whimper with George I of Hanover succeeding James’ daughter Anne. Yet despite little resistance to the new monarchy their remained significant support for the Stuarts, support that would culminate later on in a massive uprising in favour of one of James’ descendants.
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