Map Thread Before 1900

World Map, 1870.
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Just out of curiousity, how did the two Boer Republics manage to combine in this TL (or fail to come about in the event that white blob attached to Cape Colony's northern border isn't an Afrikaaner state)?
 
I was think of something along the lines of a "boer national awakening" thing coming around, much like in Bulgaria and Romania, but more recently-constructed than an "always been there" type of nationalism. So, the Boer Republics agree by treaty form the "Federation of Autonomous Boer Republics", commonly referred to as the "Afrikaaner Federation", which is what the "white blob in south africa" is in 1870.
 
An update and overhaul of an earlier AH of mine...
The World, 1795, on the precipice of the Great French War.
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During the late 1770s, and throughout 1780s, the concepts of Febronianism, Patriotism, and the Enlightenment mix and swirl throughout the decrepit Holy Roman Empire. During this time, the Emperor Joseph II tries to reform things in a genuine attempt to better the situation of the people. This period also sees the political rise of young Vandox Johann von der Saale, the Count of the Saale. Though a minor noble, he is a powerful orator and a skilled lawyer. When he is given a seat the Reichstag, he becomes well-known for being a spokesman on the subject of German unity and Federalism in the parliament. He also goes to the Empire's large cities- Frankfurt, Eisenach, Vienna- giving long and passionate speeches on German patriotism, garnering a large following. The ideals of the Enlightenment spread across Germany, especially among the aristocracy and the merchant class. This gives young Johann a great deal of influence in the many states. In 1785, he becomes the head speaker of the Fürstenbund, an alliance of many smaller German states, headed by Prussia. In 1786, he gives a powerful speech in Frankfurt. Amongst the crowd are most of the Electors of the Empire, incognito of course. Despite previous greed and factionalism, they are all moved by the man's speech. As they listen intently, they are mesmerized by Johann von der Saale's impassioned cry for federalism, unity, and liberty. Thereafter, their states witness a remarkable period of liberal reform and enlightened action, even from the Archbishops. The larger and more powerful states within the Empire all moved closer to cooperation. Thanks in no small part to Johann's political maneuvering.
In 1787, Emperor Joseph II calls Johann to his court, and makes him Austria's State Minister, responsible for Austria's foreign relations. His title is also raised from Count to Prince of the Saale. This allows him an even higher degree of influence upon Imperial politics. He continues to correspond with the various princes of the Empire, as well as with many highly influential and popular writers and philosophers who advocate German unity and federation. Additionally, he was made Austria and Bohemia's proxy representative in the Reichstag.
In 1788, he was given a commission as a Colonel of Cavalry in the Austrian Army and saw some action during the Austro-Turk War, where he saved Emperor Joseph's life during the disastrous blunder that was the Battle of Karánsebes, wherein the Austrian Army nearly killed itself in the confusion. Joseph had fallen off his horse and into a creek, and was knocked unconscious. Were it not for Johann, he would have drowned. In his gratitude, he gave Johann the rank of General, and raised his title to Duke. However, Joseph was pushed further into poor health and illness.
In 1789, the French Revolution results in the overthrow of France's absolute monarchy, and the creation of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, in which the King has little control of the state. Johann von der Saale advises against direct hostility with the new Revolutionary state for the time being. In February of 1790, Joseph dies. He is convinced by Johann to keep all of his reforms in place. The Electors convened at Frankfurt in March. After much deliberation and talks, Peter Leopold refuses the Imperial office. He, instead, nominates Austria's State Minister, General Vandox Johann von der Saale, Duke of the Saale, to be King of Germany. An entire month of deliberation ensues, and the matter is finally voted upon. By a 6 to 3 majority, Johann is elected King. Prussia, Hanover, and Trier grudgingly accept their loss. Vandox Johann is then summoned to Frankfurt to be crowned. He is astonished and amazed by the action. He regains his composure quickly, and in a shrewd move, he requests that he not be crowned Emperor yet. Rather, he asks to be crowned merely King of the Germans, with a special crown modeled after the crown of Henry the Fowler. He is crowned on April 8, and takes the title Vandox I, King of the Germans.
Then, he puts his master plan into action. During the years as Austria's Minister of State, Vandox had time to formulate a plan to federalize the Empire. He had planned to submit his proposal to the next Kaiser, which he had presumed would be Leopold. However, his acceptance of the German Throne placed himself in the perfect position to carry out his plans. On April 17, he dissolves the Regensburg Reichstag, and re-convenes the parliament at Vienna. He calls together delegates from the major states within the Empire, half of them selected by their state's monarchs and half of them elected by their state's citizens. King Vandox submits his idea for an Imperial Constitution. It takes until May 12, with delegates deliberating and arguing, some even leaving the convention in frustration. However, on that day, the final draft of the Constitution of the Holy Roman Empire is approved. The Constitution is then submitted to a general assembly of the Reichstag. Many agree, and those that don't see eye-to-eye with the King are bribed or extorted. In the end, on May 18, the constitution is ratified. The Empire becomes Federal. Many small states and free cities are mediatized into the larger states, resulting in a mere 100 states from the previous 800. Additionally, the Duchy of Eisenach is ceded to the King's personal estate, and the Duke is compensated for the loss.

The Constitution stipulates that there will be four branches of the government:
The Legislative Branch was formed, to be called the Reichstag, and will be reorganized into a tricameral parliament. The lower house, called the Council of the People, is comprised of Representatives elected by the people of each state, proportioned by population, with a minimum of one Representative per state, with a term of five years. The middle house, the Council of Princes, is comprised of representatives appointed for life by the princes of the Imperial States, called Senators. The upper house, the Council of Electors, are the electorate states, to which is added the the Margraviate of Baden, the Duchy of Eisenach, and the Duchy of Württemberg. The Reichstag is balanced by stipulating that only the lower and middle houses can propose laws, but they have to be ratified by the upper house as well.
An Executive Branch will be headed by the Imperial Chancellor, appointed by the King. The Chancellor will, on the approval of the King, appoint the Council of Ministers. Additionally, the Chancellor will serve as the President of the Estates-General, consisting of ten representatives from each of the ten Circle Estates, which are then comprised of the Imperial states. Each Imperial state are guaranteed autonomy and freedom, and equality under the law. However, each state is responsible toward their Circle Estate, which is then responsible towards the central Imperial Government. Additionally, the executive branch regulates and maintains the Armed Forces, with each Circle Estate submitting a certain number of men each to be part of the Imperial Army, proportioned by population. Additionally, each state was allowed to maintain their own token militia for internal defense. The Imperial Reserve was subsequently established as a form of national militia, in which every male citizen aged 18 to 25 must serve one year of service. Imperial reservists could be called to serve in the Imperial Army during time of war.
A Judicial Branch was formed, which amalgamated the Reichskammergericht and the Reichshofrat into one supreme court- the Court of Imperial Justice. The Grand Judges were to be elected by the Estates-General, with one Grand Judge per Circle. The assembly of Grand Judges were to be presided over by the Supreme Judge, appointed by the King. The Court was established as the supreme judiciary body of the Empire, with supreme jurisdiction over the land, and the exclusive right to review amendments to the Imperial Constitution.
Finally, a fourth branch was established. Headed by the King, this would be called the "Regulatory Branch". The King would be elected by the Council of Electors, and would in turn preside over the Reichstag. He could also nominate a successor during his lifetime, who would have to be approved by the Electors. The Regulatory Branch would be comprised of the police forces of the Empire, and various intelligence agencies who would command a network of spies and counterspies across the continent. The King would have the right to veto a bill approved by the Reichstag, the right to dismiss judges and intervene in the courts, the right to declare war and make peace, and the right to declare an Imperial Ban. In essence, the King/Emperor is given the right to regulate and moderate the other branches of government, and to be an more effective ruler.
This constitution effectively and fairly federalizes the Empire, and forms an efficient bureaucracy. Some grumble, some complain, but the truth is that the princes now have more autonomy, the people have more liberty, and the Empire is now more efficient.

King Vandox I then takes drastic measures to increase the power of the Empire. In June, the Reichstag at Vienna convenes to decide on the declaration of an Imperial War on Switzerland. Nearly all of the nations do. However, Prussia abstains, and announces that it will defend Switzerland’s independence, in blatant defiance of Vandox’s central government. Truthfully, Prussia does it out of spite, as the Elector of Brandenburg had voted against Vandox's election. Imperial and Savoyard invade Switzerland. In retaliation, Prussian soldiers march into Saxony and Bohemia. From July to the end of the year, Imperial and Swiss troops clash in the mountains, and the bitter cold causes tension between the troops and their commanders. The war is bloody and mercilessly fought. In northern Germany, warfare rages as the majority of the Imperial states fight off attacks from Prussia, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
On January 18th, 1791, the Battle of Geneva is fought. Swiss forces capitulate and Switzerland is divided into various baronies, counties, principalities, and ecclesiastical territories. Sardinia is rewarded with some southern bits of Switzerland. The Swiss Confederation is no more. There is still a great deal of partisan combat and guerrilla warfare, but it dies down by February. However, the war continues in the north, when the Hanseatic League & Oldenburg join with the Prussian Alliance. Bloody fighting continues, as King Frederick William II's mishandling of Prussia's army causes defeat after defeat for the Prussian forces, and the capture of Berlin in late April.
In Poland, the May 3rd Constitution centralizes power and streamlines the internal bureaucracy of Poland and Lithuania. However, many nobles oppose it, and they rebel, forming the Free Nobles' League of Poland, commonly called the Targowica Confederation, supported by a secret flow of Russian arms and money. The Polish Civil War begins.
In early June, At Königsberg, Imperial troops under Archduke Charles defeat the Prussian army, and force King Frederick William to sign a surrender treaty, ceding it’s Rhenish territories to Kaiser.
In August, scarcely a month out of the war with Prussia and Switzerland, Vandox convenes a Reichstag at Vienna. Here, the Empire declares an alliance with Sardinia, and they begin an invasion of the rest of Italy. The Papal States soon declares alliance with the Empire. From August to late December in 1791, the War of Imperial Unification is waged. Piedmont-Sardinia is accepted as an Imperial state, and the King of Sardinia is made Italian Vicar and Elector of the Empire. It is a bloody conflict in northern Italy, meeting stiff resistance in Venice and Parma. Austria control of Lombardy and Tuscany, however, make the conflict in the north less bloody than previously anticipated.
In January of 1792, Leopold VII of Austria and Frederick William II of Prussia meet in Brunswick. They draft a letter, which states that if Louis XVI of France is harmed, Prussia & Austria will attack. Emperor Vandox intervenes, and convinces them to revoke the message. War with France must wait, he says, until the time is right. Imperial armies sweep through Italy, conquering Genoa, Parma, Venice, and other small states. Most of these are transferred to the Habsburg family. Genoa is, however, annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia. Venice is seized by Austria, and amalgamated with owned Lombardy. The Papal States are made an Imperial state. On November 29th, Bishop Fillipo Visconti crowns Vandox in Milan as King of Italy. Finally, on December 25th Vandox is crowned Roman Emperor by the Pope himself, in Rome, with the traditional Imperial regalia. This is merely a ceremonial gesture for legitimacy's sake. Vandox himself is a Deist, like many other proponents of the Enlightenment. He uses the Catholic Church as a tool to control the ecclesiastical lords. His advocacy of Febronianism is merely a means to an end, the "end" being the German Nation.
In January of 1793, Louis XVI, King of the French, is executed after his arrest three months earlier by the National Assembly. His wife and children, however, and given freedom. Austria and Prussia want to intervene, but Kaiser Vandox convinces their rulers to refrain from action until it is necessary.
Poland, still wracked by the civil war, is invaded by Russia. The Russian Empire annexes Lithuania, leaving only the Polish crown. Prussia and Austria maintain their neutral stance, at the behest of the Kaiser. In February, Vandox calls a Reichstag at Vienna, and he gives a rousing speech, convincing most of the Imperial princes to go to war with Denmark in order to place both Schleswig and Holstein within Imperial borders. Prussia, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Oldenburg, the remains of the Hanseatic League, and East-Frisia side with Denmark-Norway. Sweden decides to ally with the Empire. The Danish-Imperial War begins. From March to November, a bloody war rages throughout Prussian territory. Meanwhile, war rages in Western Europe as France declares war on Spain, and invades Navarre and Catalonia. Andorra is annexed by France, but Republican forces are stalled at Barcelona and the Ebro River. In October, The Terror begins in France, and tens of thousands are slaughtered. French forces advance along the Spanish coast, avoiding the heavily defended center, and make a surprise assault on Grenada. After a long and bloody fight, French troops are repulsed. Bolstered by the victory, the Spanish army sends the French fleeing. The two nations call an armistice in December. Early in the next year, Imperial forces defeat Prussian troops in Silesia, and force them into a surrender treaty. Prussia is forced to surrender the territories of Ansbach and Bayreuth. Oldenburg is ceded to Sweden. Schleswig and Holstein are brought within the Empire, and . In France, Maximilien Robespierre is overthrown and executed. The directory is created in place of the national assembly. In June, Austrian diplomat Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz dies, ending the career of a great statesman.
In August, Imperial forces invade the Dutch Republic, and place the Prince of Orange back in power, now as the “Grand Duke of the Netherlands”, which is absorbed into the Empire’s borders. The Dutch people see this as a betrayal by the Orange-Nassau family, but can do nothing the face of Imperial and Orange military might. Elsewhere, in Spain, Vandox’s agents manage to infiltrate the Spanish court, and set up several scandals to occur which inflame the Spanish people. Even the popular Crown Prince Ferdinand is shamed. In November, In November, war resumes between France and Spain, when Spain sends troops to annex Navarre. The war quickly fails, culminating in the French victory in the Pyrenees at the Battle of San-Lorenzo.
In January of 1795, the Spanish Revolution occurs due a combination of bad harvests, public outcry at King Charles III, the spreading of Enlightenment ideals throughout Spain, and the public backlash against the recent and unwanted war against France. The Bourbon monarchy is blamed for all of Spain's troubles, and is overthrown in the manner of the French Revolution; an Interim Spanish Republic strikes a peace with France, provided that France pulls out of northern Spain. France is given Andorra and the Louisiana Territory in the treaty. The Interim Spanish Congress votes to re-structure Spain as a constitutional monarchy, and deliberate on which family will replace the Bourbons, and they decide on the Habsburg family, who reigned during Spain’s colonial Golden Age. They choose the heir to the family, Francis, to be King of Spain. Francis travels to Spain and is crowned in Madrid, as King of the Castile and Aragon. Influenced by Pan-Spanish nationalists and unionists, in February, the Spanish-Portuguese War is waged. King Francis of Spain, at the suggestion of Emperor Vandox, sends a large force of Spanish troops, now freed from the Pyrenees, to Portugal, supported by Austro-Italian regiments. The King of Portugal, John VI abdicates and flees to Brazil, renouncing his Portuguese titles, and naming himself King John I of Brazil. Francis takes the Portuguese throne for himself, and in late March, declares himself Emperor of the Spanish. Vandox quietly approves.
The Bourbon monarchs flee to North America, where the British allow them to set up a new government. Charles III of Spain becomes Charles I, Emperor of Mexico and Colombia, King of Chile, Argentina, and Peru.
In March, Stanislas II Augustus of Poland, after defending against Russian incursion and the Targowica rebellion, is assassinated. The Russians place their support behind Stanislas Potocki, the head of the Targowica Confederation, to become King of Poland. The Imperials, including Prussia, support the Elector of Saxony. Almost the entirety of the Empire join Vandox in declaring war on Russia, along with Denmark-Norway and Sweden. Most of the Polish loyalists sided with the Imperial coalition, voicing their support for the Wettin family, who had led Poland to strength before. Britain is too concerned with an ocean war against France to notice the goings-on within Central Europe.
Through the spring, war rages throughout Poland, and the Imperials continue to push into Lithuania, retaking much territory. In Hungary, Austrian, Czech, Hungarian, and Croat forces, supported by contingents from the Rhenish states, invade Rumania and Bosnia. In early July, the Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order abdicates his position, and passes it to Emperor Vandox I. Vandox changes the order’s rules, and abolishes the monastic vows as a necessity for knighthood, so that he can safely maintain his claim to the title of Grandmaster. Vandox revitalizes the Order, arranging for Kurland to be part of a new Order State, and begins a rigorous training process for the Knights. He sends the Knights, led by a young General, Johann von Windeck, to aid imperial and Hungarian troops in the Balkans. The Turkish troops, ill-equipped and ill-prepared, suffer many losses. In June, Coalition forces destroy the Russians, after several chaotic draws, at the Battle of Witebsk. The July Treaty renders Poland’s borders to how they were prior to 1793, and ends the civil war in Poland. A new constitution is made, and Poland is reshaped as a hereditary monarchy under the Wettin dynasty, binding it forever with Saxony. Stanislas Potocki is executed for treason. In mid-August, the so-called Danubian War ends. The coalition makes peace with the Ottoman Empire. Wallachia, Moldavia, and Bosnia are ceded to Hungary.
On January 19th, 1796, Emperor Vandox I convenes a Special Reichstag in Rome. The Caesar gives an incredibly convincing speech, and declares that the German and Italian peoples must take revenge for France’s incursion into traditional Teuto-Italian territory over the past seven centuries. The entirety of the Empire declares war on France, and is soon joined by Spain, Denmark, and Sweden. Britain welcomes the help. Imperial troops march across the Rhine, and into the bloodiest war the Empire has yet faced...
 
Reposted from the mighty Map Thread II. I've really no idea where the POD for this world lies, if one is even possible, and I certainly don't have Hapsburg's genius for working out intricate chains of events. Honestly, I just thought this looked interesting...

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The World, at 1840. Napoleon won, did not invade Russia, did make peace with Britain, re-shaped Europe, and renamed his Empire. Also took Constantinople, and renamed it Napoleonopolis. Cool, eh?
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Attack of the Cliches!:p
Ubermexico holds all of the Anerican Southwest still?
Ubernorway controls a colonial empire?
Independent Texas?
Russian Alaska?
Asian Sakhalin Island?
dying..cant breath...cliches,so many:p
 
Attack of the Cliches!:p
Ubermexico holds all of the Anerican Southwest still?
Ubernorway controls a colonial empire?
Independent Texas?
Russian Alaska?
Asian Sakhalin Island?
dying..cant breath...cliches,so many:p

Alaska was Russian until 1867 in OTL.
 
Attack of the Cliches!:p

Not really. Let's examine each one:

Ubermexico holds all of the Anerican Southwest still?

In OTL, until 1848. Non-cliche.

Ubernorway controls a colonial empire?

No, it doesn't. That's France. And it's UberDenmark. Unless you mean Iceland and Greenland (Iceland until 1940s OTL, Greenland at present)...
Independent Texas?

Yeah, from 1836 until 1848 OTL, or somewhere around there.

Russian Alaska?

Yeah, ceded to the USA after the Civil War.

Asian Sakhalin Island?

Again, not a cliche - in OTL around this time.
 
Attack of the Cliches!:p
Ubermexico holds all of the American Southwest still?
Independent Texas?
The map's in 1840, not 1940. Around that time, Texas was independent and Mexico still held that.
And why does Mexico have to be "uber" to control that area, anyway? They did a damn fine job of it until it was annexed in 1848.

Ubernorway controls a colonial empire?
Denmark, actually. And, it's not "uber". It just has Iceland and Greenland, crap it's almost always had.

Russian Alaska?
It was Russian up until 1867. My map is almost 30 years before that.

Asian Sakhalin Island?
Hasn't it pretty much always been in Asia?
 
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