TheRedRageCorps
Banned
A very rough outline of a world map with the 10 most practiced religions being flipped. From this thread. Again it's rough. But it was fun to make.
Map Thread XVI
- Thread starter Upvoteanthology
- Start date
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Would Victorious Kaiserreich or Fascist Britain have left their colonies (I presume either Britain or Germany picks up the French ones) as early as 1970?
Portugal proper was hit by a massive tsunami. It's government was decapitated and it largely collapsed. The Portuguese Empire was then divided between Germany and the UK.
Obergruppenführer Smith
Banned
Leaving aside the map color thing, this is an interesting thought experiment. in 1880, Germany had about 42,727,360 and Austria-Hungary 35,477,400. Since AH was at least 25% German, that means 8,869,350 Germans versus 26,608,050 others for a difference of 17,738,700.
Now, given that the Fall would be killing off people left and right and up and down, we can easily get the population difference to be within a few millions. Let's say 70% of the population die equally among the ethnic groups, so the difference is 5,321,610. This means that if about 40% of he surviving German Empire population (30% survival) manages to move south, German-Others would be at a equilibrium.
We can go from there, with 20% survival rate and whatnot.
Find other maps with the borders you want and use layers and change the opacity to superimpose it over the basemap, its far better than eyeballing a border
Seems iffy. I am not even sure what it all means, given the lack of red between the Germans and the Low Countries. ASSR equivalents might be called for, mostly around the border areas unless they move around the Italians, etc there to solidfy German control. Having a German-Austrian SSR seems questionable by the name. Having it as Austrian might work, as otherwise you need to deal with a third of the place being occupied by Italians and Slavs. Having the equivalent of oblasts may be wise, if the map is ever redone. Still, a nice enough map. Come to think of it, are you having the Low Countries as the Baltic equivalent, with the areas taken from Poland the equivalent of the areas the Soviets took from Poland?Nothing really fancy. Basically a speed-made proof-of-concept Germany as the USSR World War Two Flip. Enjoy!
KitFisto1997
Banned
I think I'm getting a hang of this new way of doing maps... The Bulgaria map is on hold at the moment, probably forever.
So after aimlessly browsing through Zalesky's dA and coming across this map, I decided to do my own version of the 'Seth Efrican Republik survives' scenario with a PoD somewhere around the 1830's.
Despite the fact that I may bash the Saffas incessantly, (from the standpoint of having a lot of IRL Afrikaner mates and the inevitable sporting/political/cultural rivalry that comes out of it) I actually have a legitimate interest in the history of the nation and its people.
I'm also looking at doing a WorldA version of this mini-TL, so stay tuned for that.
I think I'm getting a hang of this new way of doing maps... The Bulgaria map is on hold at the moment, probably forever.
So after aimlessly browsing through Zalesky's dA and coming across this map, I decided to do my own version of the 'Seth Efrican Republik survives' scenario with a PoD somewhere around the 1830's.
Despite the fact that I may bash the Saffas incessantly, (from the standpoint of having a lot of IRL Afrikaner mates and the inevitable sporting/political/cultural rivalry that comes out of it) I actually have a legitimate interest in the history of the nation and its people.
I'm also looking at doing a WorldA version of this mini-TL, so stay tuned for that.
Coolness, but is there any reason why Swaziland is independent? IIRC, it was part of Transvaal for some time IOTL.
The "White Map" supporters won.
I have also used the new Africa coast.
I have taken the opportunity to re-vamp the War of the Blooms post and expand it for the rest of Europe.
___________________________________________________________________________________
1445-1460
Iberia and Africa
Despite moving the capital to Madrid, Castile was still wracked by civil war but, with Madrid within the King's power-base, these were put down more easily than in the past. Castile's attention was firmly inward rather than on foreign projects.
In 1452 Castile attacked and defeated the Emirate of Granada at Lorca in Murcia. More land was taken from the Emirate. This was, in reality, more civil war than war as Granada had long been a vassal of Castile, taking part in most of it's internal conflicts on one side or the other.
In Portugal, however, despite the tensions between King Alfonso V and the Duke of Coimbra [which ended with the defeat of Duke Peter's forces at the battle of Alfarrobeira in 1449], Portuguese interests were firmly on north Africa. Another attack on Tangier failed in 1451 but support was received from the Pope with his declaration of 1455 sanctioning the conquest of non-Christian lands and the reduction of native non-Christian populations to "perpetual slavery".
With this impetus, the attack of 1458, although failing it's main goal against Tangier, captured Ksar-es-Seghir between Ceuta and Tangier.
The situation in North Africa had been fairly stable for some years. After the break up of the Almohad Empire in the mid 13th century the Maranid dynasty of Morocco had dominated for about a hundred years, for a time holding the lands from the Atlantic to Libya. With their decline the Hafsids, a Moroccan family ruling Tunisia, rose as did the Kingdom of Tlecmen between the two. Tlecmen was often vassal or tributary to the Maranids and often proxy wars, on behalf of the Maranids and Hafsids, were fought by Tlecmen and the Hafsid vassal of Bougie. By the mid 15th century Bougie had been absorbed and the Hafsids fought Tlecmen directly.
Tlecmen was conquered repeatedly by both sides and began to break up. The Maranids were also supporting Granada, providing men and supplies.
In 1421 Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq had succeeded Abu Said to the Maranid throne at only one year old. Wattassid viziers proved to be unavoidable and took power for nearly forty years, at the end of which, in 1459, they were massacred by Abd al-Haqq who reclaimed power.
The British Isles and France
Wars of the Blooms; Preamble
The conquest of France by England did not, with a few exceptions, enlarge England but produced two states in personal union in the form of the King. France, at the time was far less centralised than England so, although there was an imbalance in population in favour of France, it slowly became more Anglicised, especially Normandy and Aquitaine, areas that had had long-standing links with the English Crown. Their importance was stressed in the standard of the King of France, the single leopard of Aquitaine and the two leopards of Normandy being quartered with the Fleur de Lys of France.
That is not to say there was no influence in the other direction, in fact even the mere suggestion that the hearing of court cases revert back to using French rather than English was enough to cause riots in the major centres. The idea was soon dropped.
The Kingdoms were in the care of trusted nobles. Royal Lieutenants controlled the Pale of Ireland and Wales, Royal Dukes were appointed to Normandy and Aquitaine. The King ruled by playing these off, one against the other, a practice that worked to keep them from combining with each other and lesser nobles to influence the King. Large numbers of soldiers discharged from the English armies that had been in France were engaged by Nobles to mount raids on their rivals.
This would work fine with a strong monarch on the thrones but, Henry VI suffered from mental breaks which often meant the Royal Dukes and Lieutenants were effectively at war with each other. He had inherited his grandfather's (Charles VI of France) madness and became King even before his first birthday. He faced a dispute at the court between his Uncle Humphrey of Gloucester (supported by Duke Richard of York) and his great Uncle Henri Beaufort. Not to mention he was wedded to Margaret of Anjou, who dominated her husband greatly.
By 1445 it became clear that he simply was failing in his government, many considered Henry incapable of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of a King and his son being too young the only alternative was the line of York.
In 1447, Richard of York returned to England from his new post as Lieutenant of Ireland and marched on London, demanding Somerset's removal and reform of the government. At this stage, few of the nobles supported such drastic action, and York was forced to submit to superior force at Blackheath.
This growing civil discontent, the abundance of feuding nobles with private armies, and corruption in Henry VI's court formed a political climate ripe for civil war. Richard and the Yorkist faction, who tended to be physically placed further away from the seat of power, found their power slowly being stripped away. Royal power and finances also started to slip, as Henry was persuaded to grant many royal lands and estates to Lancastrians, thereby losing their revenue.
Richard, Duke of York, led a small force toward London and was met by Henry's forces at St Albans, north of London, in May 1450. This was the first open conflict of the civil war. Richard's aim was ostensibly to remove "poor advisors" from King Henry's side. The result was a Lancastrian defeat. Several prominent Lancastrian leaders, including Somerset and Northumberland, were killed. After the battle, the Yorkists found Henry hiding in a local tanner's shop, abandoned by his advisers and servants, apparently having suffered another bout of mental illness.
York was again appointed Protector, for a while, both sides seemed shocked that an actual battle had been fought and did their best to reconcile their differences, but the problems that caused conflict soon re-emerged, particularly the issue of whether the Duke of York, or Henry and Margaret's infant son, Edward, would succeed to the throne.
In 1450 Kentishmen rebelled against the King, led by Jack Cade, an ex-soldier. They briefly occupied London after defeating royalists at Seven Oaks but were driven out by troops from the Tower of London. The main Royalist forces were North of London where Richard of York's men met Henry's troops at St Albans. Jack cade was killed in an ambush the following year and the rebellion was crushed.
A revolt the same year in Paris was more easily put down but showed the need to maintain a standing force able to be deployed in either realm.
Wars of the Blooms; Outbreak
Henry recovered and in 1453 he relieved York of his office of Protector. Margaret persuaded Henry to revoke the appointments York had made as Protector, while York was made to return to his post as lieutenant in Ireland.
Disorder in the capital and the north of England were growing. York's ally, Warwick, was growing in popularity in London as the champion of the merchants. York, Salisbury and Warwick were summoned to a royal council at Coventry, but they refused, fearing arrest when they were isolated from their own supporters.
York summoned the Nevilles to join him at his stronghold at Ludlow in the Welsh Marches. In 1454, at the Blore Heath in Staffordshire, a Lancastrian army failed to prevent Salisbury from marching from Yorkshire to Ludlow. Shortly afterwards the combined Yorkist armies confronted the much larger Lancastrian force at Ludford Bridge. Warwick's contingent from the garrison of Calais defected to the Lancastrians, and the Yorkist leaders fled. York, Salisbury and Warwick fled to Calais to gather support in France.
Somerset, appointed Governor of Calais, was dispatched to take over the vital fortress on the French coast, but his attempts to evict Warwick were easily repulsed, this victory bringing many undecided lords in northern France to his banners.
Warwick began to launch raids on the English coast. Being attainted [stripped of their lands and titles], only by a successful invasion could the Yorkists recover their lands and titles.
In late June 1455, Warwick, Salisbury and the Duke of York crossed the Channel and rapidly established themselves in Kent and London, where they enjoyed wide support.
King Henry led an army south to meet them while Margaret remained in the north with Prince Edward. At Northampton on 10 July, the Yorkist army under Warwick defeated the Lancastrians, aided by treachery in the King's ranks. For the second time in the war, King Henry was captured. With the king in their possession, the Yorkists returned to London and in the light of this military success, Richard of York moved to press his claim to the throne based on the illegitimacy of the Lancastrian line.
Warwick and Salisbury were shocked by his presumption; they had no desire at this stage to overthrow King Henry. Their ambition was still limited to the removal of his councilors. A compromise was struck in October 1455 with the Act of Accord, which recognized York as Henry's successor, disinheriting Henry's six-year-old son, Edward. York accepted this compromise as the best offer. It gave him much of what he wanted, particularly since he was also made Protector of the Realm and was able to govern in Henry's name.
Margaret and her son had fled north to Scotland to negotiate for Scottish assistance. The Queen Consort agreed to give Margaret an army on condition that she cede the town of Dunbar, recently taken by England, back to Scotland. Margaret agreed, she could only promise booty from the riches of England as pay to her army.
The Duke of York left London later that year with Salisbury to consolidate his position in the north against the Lancastrians who were reported to be massing near York.
He took up a defensive position near Wakefield over Christmas 1455. Then on 30 December, his forces attacked the Lancastrians in the open, although outnumbered. The ensuing battle was a complete Lancastrian victory. Richard of York was slain in the battle, and both Salisbury and York's second son were captured and executed. Margaret ordered the heads of all three placed on the gates of York.
Wakefield left Edward, Earl of March, York's eldest son, as Duke of York and heir to his claim to the throne. With an army from the pro-Yorkist Welsh Marches he met a Lancastrian army arriving from Wales, and defeated them soundly at Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire.
Margaret's army was moving south, supporting itself by looting as it passed through the prosperous south of England. Warwick used this as propaganda, Coventry switched allegiance to the Yorkists.
Margaret defeated Warwick at the second battle of St Albans, King Henry was recaptured. The people of London shut the city gates and refused to supply food to the queen's army, which was looting the surrounding counties.
Edward, having joined with Warwick's surviving forces, advanced towards London from the west at the same time that the queen retreated northwards.
In London Edward claimed Henry had forfeited his right to the crown by allowing his Queen to take up arms against his rightful heirs under the Act of Accord.
Wars of the Blooms; Overthrow
Edward and Warwick marched north, gathering a large army as they went, and met an equally impressive Lancastrian army at Towton.
The battle of Towton, was the biggest battle of the wars. Both sides saw, given the number of men involved, that the issue would be settled that day. Over 20,000 men were killed during the battle. Edward and his army won a decisive victory, the Lancastrians were routed, with most of their leaders slain.
Henry and Margaret, in York with their son Edward, fled north when they heard the outcome. The surviving Lancastrian nobles were driven back to the northern border areas and a few castles in Wales.
The official coronation of Edward IV took place in June 1456 in London, where he received a rapturous welcome from his supporters.
After the Battle of Towton, Henry VI and Margaret fled to Scotland, where they followed through on their promise to cede Dunbar to Scotland. Later in the year, they mounted an attack on Carlisle, but, lacking money, they were easily repulsed by Edward's men, who were rooting out the remaining Lancastrian forces in the northern counties. They left for France but found very little support there.
English Arms French Arms
Scotland
Forces loyal to King James II defeated the supporters of rebellious 8th Earl of Douglas in Battle near Stirling in 1450. In 1452 William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas was killed on the orders of James II of Scotland at Stirling Castle. The conflict continued until the Battle of Arkinholm in 1455 where forces loyal to King James II defeated the supporters of the 9th Earl of Douglas.
While supervising a siege of the English occupiers of Dunbar, returned to him by the Lancastrians, King James II of Scotland was killed when one of his own cannon, his favourite, exploded.
Holy Roman Empire
The Magdeburg War of 1449-1453 was a revolt against Albrecht III, Elector of Brandenburg in the Altmark in alliance with the Archbishop of Magdeburg. There was little conflict in the open field, Albrecht's forces were mainly deployed in siege against Magdeburg itself and the minor cities of the Altmark. It was widely suspected that Albrecht showed weakness in the area specifically to attract the attack from Magdeburg.
This was a war with other local effects, prompting the Baltic League of the Hanse to become territorial and the coronation of Henry VIII of Brunswick as Emperor in Rome.
The Habsburg hold over the Low countries was challenged by the revolt of the guilds of Ghent, 1452-1456, against taxes and restrictions imposed on trade. Supported and supplied by the Rhenish League of the Hanse who felt their options were shrinking as the Habsburgs absorbed more of their neighbours. It also saw the start of a fracture in the Hanseatic League as the Baltic League was generally supportive of the Wilhelm, Habsburg Duke of Brabant.
It was not until 1454 that Wilhelm officially declared war on Ghent. Ghent had expected support from Bruges but the silting of their Harbour and subsequent move of trade to Antwerp had allowed the dilution of League influence in favour of local merchants. The revolt was eventually crushed in 1456.
Scandinavia
Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark and Norway died with no designated heir in 1448, leaving both Kingdoms with vacant thrones.
Christian of Oldenburg, betrothed to the Queen Dowager, was elected King Christian I of Denmark in 1449.
Charles VIII of Sweden and Norway [as Charles I] was deposed from the Norwegian throne in 1450, in favour of King Christian I of Denmark.
In 1454 Christian issued the Treaty of Ribe, enabling him to become Count of Holstein to regain control of Denmark's lost Duchy of Schleswig. This Treaty set off the second War of the Sound with the Hanseatic League.
The Steppes & Rus Lands
The Steppes were still in a state of flux, the original Juchi Khanate having "given birth" to weaker Khanates that were struggling, in the main, to resist the more advanced Rus states that once were their vassals. The situation was now reversed as Rus states started to vassalise nomads. Mostly the Nomad States had established workable spheres of interest and borders, still fluid, were pretty stable although the Kara Juchi Tatars of Circassia, as the weakest of the major Khanates, was still under pressure from its neighbours.
Tver and Moscow became the main rivals in the central Rus lands
The Patriarchate, roughly the Orthodox equivalent to the Papacy, did not have the same power as its western counterpart. It owned no lands and had a more subsidiary position the Byzantine Empire. It came as no surprise when the Orthodox lands not adjacent to the Empire began to vary from the Orthodox line, soon Kiev had its own Patriarch, later Moscow then Tver followed suit, each with variations, minor to the outsider but suited to the lands they resided in. Any wars therefore also took on religious overtones and agreement between states was much less certain. It was religious dispute that engendered the civil war in Galich in 1458 and guaranteed the independence of Orthodox Galich-Mersky from its Roman Catholic sister. The one thing all the Patriarchs could agree on was opposition to Rome.
It was also one of the causes of the Tver-Novgorod war of 1457. Novgorod had expelled its Hanseatic traders in favour of home grown ones but the decline in trade due to an Hanseatic boycott and blockade drove Novgorod into the arms of [and influence of] Catholic Lithuania. The Patriarch of Tver convinced the Tsar of Tver of the dangers of a catholic, or at least pro-Catholic power on its north-western border. The war became almost an Orthodox Crusade drawing in forces from and strengthening ties with Ouglich, Yaroslavl, Starodub, Rostov and rebellious Galich-Mersky all of which accepted the writ of the Patriarch of Tver. The peace treaty of 1460 was also an instrument of unification of many of these states, accepting Tver's suzerainty.
Italy
In Italy, the siege of Cremona started in 1446 by the Milanese condottieri troops of Francesco Piccinino and Luigi dal Verme over pay - or rather the lack of it, was raised after the arrival in 1448, of Francesco Sforza, a mercenary himself in the employ of the D'Este family, with forces outnumbering the besiegers.
Sforza did not renew his contract with the D’Este family but entered into an agreement with the Visconti of Milan. As Cremona was held by his condottieri it too came to Milan. The Visconti, however continued its practice of late or no payment for services rendered and in 1450 Francesco Sforza, after a brief siege, entered Milan, becoming Duke of the city-state and founding a dynasty that would rule Milan for a century.
The council of Basle 1448-1450 negotiated the end of the Great Schism. The last Antipope, Felix V, abdicated in 1459 clearing the way for the election of Pope Nicholas V in 1450 by the entire clergy, not just a faction. The reputation and influence of the Papacy was at an all time low. Excommunications from both Popes had been ignored with no ill effect, indulgences sold and the concept of Papal Infallibility was in tatters. Even the crowning of Henry VIII of Brunswick as Holy Roman Emperor in Rome in 1452 was marred as the Pope had to concede that papal confirmation was not needed for that title.
An alliance was formed between Milan, Aragon and Florence in the 1454 Treaty of Lodi to contain Venetian territorial ambitions in Italy.
Henry was the last Emperor to be crowned in Rome and as Imperial influence in Italy began to wane, starting with Florence, in 1455, lands began to renounce their fealty to the Emperor.
The Balkans and Eastern Europe
Constantly interfering in each other's internal affairs Vladislav II of Vlachia supported the usurpation of the Molavian throne, by Petru Aron in 1454, from his enemy Alexander I.
Conflict between Vladislav II and his once mentor, John Hunyadi, escalated causing Hunyadi to throw his support in 1454, behind Vlad the Impaler for the throne of Vlachia. Civil War broke out the next Year. Vladislav was killed in hand to hand combat by Vlad the Impaler, who succeeded him.
Matthias Corvinus followed his father, John Hunyadi as King of Buda in 1458, at age 14, he had to cope with an attempted coup, but, once secure on his throne he set about formalising what has been only de-facto under his father, the vassalisation of Szeged, Ungar, Banat and the land the family had migrated from, Hunyad, which he claimed as his own.
Albania
The new state went through some teething troubles that others sought to take advantage of. A brief war between Albania and Venice lasted only a year with minor gains for Albania.
After the loss of the Morea and Athens to Byzantium the minor Angevin line of Arta was overthrown by Greco-French nobility. The capital was moved to Thessalonica, and, looking for a way to employ the troops, mainly mercenary, that had brought him to the throne, John I of Thessaly turned on Albania.
Skanderbeg had never fortified his southern border, knowing that Arta was relatively weak. That came back to haunt him now as Thessaly's forces were able to quickly take southern Albania in 1449. Late in the year Skanderbeg was able to defeat the Thessalonian forces near Berat, denying them the rich river plains south of the capital, Durres.
Skanderbeg won again at Gramsh in 1450 and broke the siege of Librakia which was the gateway to the north.
Having confined Thessalonian forces to the southern mountains the war became one of raid and counter-raid with little being gained by either side. This remained so for 10 long years, the danger to John I from the mercenaries had long passed and the war was now just a drain on his resources but, rather than come to the negotiating table, John pulled in more troops to try to finish the war in his favour.
In 1456, at Oronichea, Thessalonian forces numbering 15,000 met, but were swiftly defeated by, Skanderbeg's smaller force. Things began to fall apart at home for John, especially after a second defeat at Ujebardha in 1457.
After the deposition of John by his cousin Simeon in 1458 the war came to a swift conclusion, with neither side conceding land, Thessaly paid reparations in the form of a "pension" to Skanderbeg.
Poland and the North
In 1454 Danzig rebelled against the oppressive levies of the Prussians, receiving assistance from Poland. Prussia had supported Lithuania in their conflict with Poland over Masovia but had been over-run, Lithuania was not in the mood to get involved in what would probably be another stalemate war. The Polish army was defeated by a smaller but more professional Prussian army during the war but, a Hanse flotilla defeated the Prussians to seal the Vistula Lagoon. Whilst Poland moved slowly, seven years later Prussia had to concede its dependent states and vassals along with "Royal" Poland, a corridor to the sea and the, now Hanse city, of Danzig.
1458 saw change in Kassaria, George Podebrady was elected Protector by the Hussite majority but concentrated on consolidating his hold on the country.
Byzantium and the Middle East
After the war that vassalised Bulgaria, Byzantium struggled to recover it's strength and whilst it did so strengthened its position in Anatolia politically by marriages and treaty. By 1460 the Empire had congruent lands along the entire southern Black Sea.
Abd-al-Latif Mirza, ruler of the Timurid state, was assassinated in 1452 and the Kara Koyunlu, or Black Sheep Khanate, were able to expand into the lands left in turmoil as a result. The Ay Koyunlu, or White Sheep Khanate, their bitter rivals, expanded into Anatolia defeating Eretna and Rum in alliance with Ancara who, in adopting their Sunni form of Islam threw off their ties with Byzantium. Ancara proved that their diplomacy had been learnt from Byzantium as in under ten years they had re-claimed Karaman and Ladik for Islam and inherited Rum by marriage. Byzantium countered this by an alliance with the Ay Koyunlu, both states equally alarmed by the growth and influence of this new central Anatolian realm.
I have also used the new Africa coast.
I have taken the opportunity to re-vamp the War of the Blooms post and expand it for the rest of Europe.
___________________________________________________________________________________
1445-1460
Iberia and Africa
Despite moving the capital to Madrid, Castile was still wracked by civil war but, with Madrid within the King's power-base, these were put down more easily than in the past. Castile's attention was firmly inward rather than on foreign projects.
In 1452 Castile attacked and defeated the Emirate of Granada at Lorca in Murcia. More land was taken from the Emirate. This was, in reality, more civil war than war as Granada had long been a vassal of Castile, taking part in most of it's internal conflicts on one side or the other.
In Portugal, however, despite the tensions between King Alfonso V and the Duke of Coimbra [which ended with the defeat of Duke Peter's forces at the battle of Alfarrobeira in 1449], Portuguese interests were firmly on north Africa. Another attack on Tangier failed in 1451 but support was received from the Pope with his declaration of 1455 sanctioning the conquest of non-Christian lands and the reduction of native non-Christian populations to "perpetual slavery".
With this impetus, the attack of 1458, although failing it's main goal against Tangier, captured Ksar-es-Seghir between Ceuta and Tangier.
The situation in North Africa had been fairly stable for some years. After the break up of the Almohad Empire in the mid 13th century the Maranid dynasty of Morocco had dominated for about a hundred years, for a time holding the lands from the Atlantic to Libya. With their decline the Hafsids, a Moroccan family ruling Tunisia, rose as did the Kingdom of Tlecmen between the two. Tlecmen was often vassal or tributary to the Maranids and often proxy wars, on behalf of the Maranids and Hafsids, were fought by Tlecmen and the Hafsid vassal of Bougie. By the mid 15th century Bougie had been absorbed and the Hafsids fought Tlecmen directly.
Tlecmen was conquered repeatedly by both sides and began to break up. The Maranids were also supporting Granada, providing men and supplies.
In 1421 Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq had succeeded Abu Said to the Maranid throne at only one year old. Wattassid viziers proved to be unavoidable and took power for nearly forty years, at the end of which, in 1459, they were massacred by Abd al-Haqq who reclaimed power.
The British Isles and France
Wars of the Blooms; Preamble
The conquest of France by England did not, with a few exceptions, enlarge England but produced two states in personal union in the form of the King. France, at the time was far less centralised than England so, although there was an imbalance in population in favour of France, it slowly became more Anglicised, especially Normandy and Aquitaine, areas that had had long-standing links with the English Crown. Their importance was stressed in the standard of the King of France, the single leopard of Aquitaine and the two leopards of Normandy being quartered with the Fleur de Lys of France.
That is not to say there was no influence in the other direction, in fact even the mere suggestion that the hearing of court cases revert back to using French rather than English was enough to cause riots in the major centres. The idea was soon dropped.
The Kingdoms were in the care of trusted nobles. Royal Lieutenants controlled the Pale of Ireland and Wales, Royal Dukes were appointed to Normandy and Aquitaine. The King ruled by playing these off, one against the other, a practice that worked to keep them from combining with each other and lesser nobles to influence the King. Large numbers of soldiers discharged from the English armies that had been in France were engaged by Nobles to mount raids on their rivals.
This would work fine with a strong monarch on the thrones but, Henry VI suffered from mental breaks which often meant the Royal Dukes and Lieutenants were effectively at war with each other. He had inherited his grandfather's (Charles VI of France) madness and became King even before his first birthday. He faced a dispute at the court between his Uncle Humphrey of Gloucester (supported by Duke Richard of York) and his great Uncle Henri Beaufort. Not to mention he was wedded to Margaret of Anjou, who dominated her husband greatly.
By 1445 it became clear that he simply was failing in his government, many considered Henry incapable of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of a King and his son being too young the only alternative was the line of York.
In 1447, Richard of York returned to England from his new post as Lieutenant of Ireland and marched on London, demanding Somerset's removal and reform of the government. At this stage, few of the nobles supported such drastic action, and York was forced to submit to superior force at Blackheath.
This growing civil discontent, the abundance of feuding nobles with private armies, and corruption in Henry VI's court formed a political climate ripe for civil war. Richard and the Yorkist faction, who tended to be physically placed further away from the seat of power, found their power slowly being stripped away. Royal power and finances also started to slip, as Henry was persuaded to grant many royal lands and estates to Lancastrians, thereby losing their revenue.
Richard, Duke of York, led a small force toward London and was met by Henry's forces at St Albans, north of London, in May 1450. This was the first open conflict of the civil war. Richard's aim was ostensibly to remove "poor advisors" from King Henry's side. The result was a Lancastrian defeat. Several prominent Lancastrian leaders, including Somerset and Northumberland, were killed. After the battle, the Yorkists found Henry hiding in a local tanner's shop, abandoned by his advisers and servants, apparently having suffered another bout of mental illness.
York was again appointed Protector, for a while, both sides seemed shocked that an actual battle had been fought and did their best to reconcile their differences, but the problems that caused conflict soon re-emerged, particularly the issue of whether the Duke of York, or Henry and Margaret's infant son, Edward, would succeed to the throne.
In 1450 Kentishmen rebelled against the King, led by Jack Cade, an ex-soldier. They briefly occupied London after defeating royalists at Seven Oaks but were driven out by troops from the Tower of London. The main Royalist forces were North of London where Richard of York's men met Henry's troops at St Albans. Jack cade was killed in an ambush the following year and the rebellion was crushed.
A revolt the same year in Paris was more easily put down but showed the need to maintain a standing force able to be deployed in either realm.
Wars of the Blooms; Outbreak
Henry recovered and in 1453 he relieved York of his office of Protector. Margaret persuaded Henry to revoke the appointments York had made as Protector, while York was made to return to his post as lieutenant in Ireland.
Disorder in the capital and the north of England were growing. York's ally, Warwick, was growing in popularity in London as the champion of the merchants. York, Salisbury and Warwick were summoned to a royal council at Coventry, but they refused, fearing arrest when they were isolated from their own supporters.
York summoned the Nevilles to join him at his stronghold at Ludlow in the Welsh Marches. In 1454, at the Blore Heath in Staffordshire, a Lancastrian army failed to prevent Salisbury from marching from Yorkshire to Ludlow. Shortly afterwards the combined Yorkist armies confronted the much larger Lancastrian force at Ludford Bridge. Warwick's contingent from the garrison of Calais defected to the Lancastrians, and the Yorkist leaders fled. York, Salisbury and Warwick fled to Calais to gather support in France.
Somerset, appointed Governor of Calais, was dispatched to take over the vital fortress on the French coast, but his attempts to evict Warwick were easily repulsed, this victory bringing many undecided lords in northern France to his banners.
Warwick began to launch raids on the English coast. Being attainted [stripped of their lands and titles], only by a successful invasion could the Yorkists recover their lands and titles.
In late June 1455, Warwick, Salisbury and the Duke of York crossed the Channel and rapidly established themselves in Kent and London, where they enjoyed wide support.
King Henry led an army south to meet them while Margaret remained in the north with Prince Edward. At Northampton on 10 July, the Yorkist army under Warwick defeated the Lancastrians, aided by treachery in the King's ranks. For the second time in the war, King Henry was captured. With the king in their possession, the Yorkists returned to London and in the light of this military success, Richard of York moved to press his claim to the throne based on the illegitimacy of the Lancastrian line.
Warwick and Salisbury were shocked by his presumption; they had no desire at this stage to overthrow King Henry. Their ambition was still limited to the removal of his councilors. A compromise was struck in October 1455 with the Act of Accord, which recognized York as Henry's successor, disinheriting Henry's six-year-old son, Edward. York accepted this compromise as the best offer. It gave him much of what he wanted, particularly since he was also made Protector of the Realm and was able to govern in Henry's name.
Margaret and her son had fled north to Scotland to negotiate for Scottish assistance. The Queen Consort agreed to give Margaret an army on condition that she cede the town of Dunbar, recently taken by England, back to Scotland. Margaret agreed, she could only promise booty from the riches of England as pay to her army.
The Duke of York left London later that year with Salisbury to consolidate his position in the north against the Lancastrians who were reported to be massing near York.
He took up a defensive position near Wakefield over Christmas 1455. Then on 30 December, his forces attacked the Lancastrians in the open, although outnumbered. The ensuing battle was a complete Lancastrian victory. Richard of York was slain in the battle, and both Salisbury and York's second son were captured and executed. Margaret ordered the heads of all three placed on the gates of York.
Wakefield left Edward, Earl of March, York's eldest son, as Duke of York and heir to his claim to the throne. With an army from the pro-Yorkist Welsh Marches he met a Lancastrian army arriving from Wales, and defeated them soundly at Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire.
Margaret's army was moving south, supporting itself by looting as it passed through the prosperous south of England. Warwick used this as propaganda, Coventry switched allegiance to the Yorkists.
Margaret defeated Warwick at the second battle of St Albans, King Henry was recaptured. The people of London shut the city gates and refused to supply food to the queen's army, which was looting the surrounding counties.
Edward, having joined with Warwick's surviving forces, advanced towards London from the west at the same time that the queen retreated northwards.
In London Edward claimed Henry had forfeited his right to the crown by allowing his Queen to take up arms against his rightful heirs under the Act of Accord.
Wars of the Blooms; Overthrow
Edward and Warwick marched north, gathering a large army as they went, and met an equally impressive Lancastrian army at Towton.
The battle of Towton, was the biggest battle of the wars. Both sides saw, given the number of men involved, that the issue would be settled that day. Over 20,000 men were killed during the battle. Edward and his army won a decisive victory, the Lancastrians were routed, with most of their leaders slain.
Henry and Margaret, in York with their son Edward, fled north when they heard the outcome. The surviving Lancastrian nobles were driven back to the northern border areas and a few castles in Wales.
The official coronation of Edward IV took place in June 1456 in London, where he received a rapturous welcome from his supporters.
After the Battle of Towton, Henry VI and Margaret fled to Scotland, where they followed through on their promise to cede Dunbar to Scotland. Later in the year, they mounted an attack on Carlisle, but, lacking money, they were easily repulsed by Edward's men, who were rooting out the remaining Lancastrian forces in the northern counties. They left for France but found very little support there.
English Arms French Arms
Scotland
Forces loyal to King James II defeated the supporters of rebellious 8th Earl of Douglas in Battle near Stirling in 1450. In 1452 William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas was killed on the orders of James II of Scotland at Stirling Castle. The conflict continued until the Battle of Arkinholm in 1455 where forces loyal to King James II defeated the supporters of the 9th Earl of Douglas.
While supervising a siege of the English occupiers of Dunbar, returned to him by the Lancastrians, King James II of Scotland was killed when one of his own cannon, his favourite, exploded.
Holy Roman Empire
The Magdeburg War of 1449-1453 was a revolt against Albrecht III, Elector of Brandenburg in the Altmark in alliance with the Archbishop of Magdeburg. There was little conflict in the open field, Albrecht's forces were mainly deployed in siege against Magdeburg itself and the minor cities of the Altmark. It was widely suspected that Albrecht showed weakness in the area specifically to attract the attack from Magdeburg.
This was a war with other local effects, prompting the Baltic League of the Hanse to become territorial and the coronation of Henry VIII of Brunswick as Emperor in Rome.
The Habsburg hold over the Low countries was challenged by the revolt of the guilds of Ghent, 1452-1456, against taxes and restrictions imposed on trade. Supported and supplied by the Rhenish League of the Hanse who felt their options were shrinking as the Habsburgs absorbed more of their neighbours. It also saw the start of a fracture in the Hanseatic League as the Baltic League was generally supportive of the Wilhelm, Habsburg Duke of Brabant.
It was not until 1454 that Wilhelm officially declared war on Ghent. Ghent had expected support from Bruges but the silting of their Harbour and subsequent move of trade to Antwerp had allowed the dilution of League influence in favour of local merchants. The revolt was eventually crushed in 1456.
Scandinavia
Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark and Norway died with no designated heir in 1448, leaving both Kingdoms with vacant thrones.
Christian of Oldenburg, betrothed to the Queen Dowager, was elected King Christian I of Denmark in 1449.
Charles VIII of Sweden and Norway [as Charles I] was deposed from the Norwegian throne in 1450, in favour of King Christian I of Denmark.
In 1454 Christian issued the Treaty of Ribe, enabling him to become Count of Holstein to regain control of Denmark's lost Duchy of Schleswig. This Treaty set off the second War of the Sound with the Hanseatic League.
The Steppes & Rus Lands
The Steppes were still in a state of flux, the original Juchi Khanate having "given birth" to weaker Khanates that were struggling, in the main, to resist the more advanced Rus states that once were their vassals. The situation was now reversed as Rus states started to vassalise nomads. Mostly the Nomad States had established workable spheres of interest and borders, still fluid, were pretty stable although the Kara Juchi Tatars of Circassia, as the weakest of the major Khanates, was still under pressure from its neighbours.
Tver and Moscow became the main rivals in the central Rus lands
The Patriarchate, roughly the Orthodox equivalent to the Papacy, did not have the same power as its western counterpart. It owned no lands and had a more subsidiary position the Byzantine Empire. It came as no surprise when the Orthodox lands not adjacent to the Empire began to vary from the Orthodox line, soon Kiev had its own Patriarch, later Moscow then Tver followed suit, each with variations, minor to the outsider but suited to the lands they resided in. Any wars therefore also took on religious overtones and agreement between states was much less certain. It was religious dispute that engendered the civil war in Galich in 1458 and guaranteed the independence of Orthodox Galich-Mersky from its Roman Catholic sister. The one thing all the Patriarchs could agree on was opposition to Rome.
It was also one of the causes of the Tver-Novgorod war of 1457. Novgorod had expelled its Hanseatic traders in favour of home grown ones but the decline in trade due to an Hanseatic boycott and blockade drove Novgorod into the arms of [and influence of] Catholic Lithuania. The Patriarch of Tver convinced the Tsar of Tver of the dangers of a catholic, or at least pro-Catholic power on its north-western border. The war became almost an Orthodox Crusade drawing in forces from and strengthening ties with Ouglich, Yaroslavl, Starodub, Rostov and rebellious Galich-Mersky all of which accepted the writ of the Patriarch of Tver. The peace treaty of 1460 was also an instrument of unification of many of these states, accepting Tver's suzerainty.
Italy
In Italy, the siege of Cremona started in 1446 by the Milanese condottieri troops of Francesco Piccinino and Luigi dal Verme over pay - or rather the lack of it, was raised after the arrival in 1448, of Francesco Sforza, a mercenary himself in the employ of the D'Este family, with forces outnumbering the besiegers.
Sforza did not renew his contract with the D’Este family but entered into an agreement with the Visconti of Milan. As Cremona was held by his condottieri it too came to Milan. The Visconti, however continued its practice of late or no payment for services rendered and in 1450 Francesco Sforza, after a brief siege, entered Milan, becoming Duke of the city-state and founding a dynasty that would rule Milan for a century.
The council of Basle 1448-1450 negotiated the end of the Great Schism. The last Antipope, Felix V, abdicated in 1459 clearing the way for the election of Pope Nicholas V in 1450 by the entire clergy, not just a faction. The reputation and influence of the Papacy was at an all time low. Excommunications from both Popes had been ignored with no ill effect, indulgences sold and the concept of Papal Infallibility was in tatters. Even the crowning of Henry VIII of Brunswick as Holy Roman Emperor in Rome in 1452 was marred as the Pope had to concede that papal confirmation was not needed for that title.
An alliance was formed between Milan, Aragon and Florence in the 1454 Treaty of Lodi to contain Venetian territorial ambitions in Italy.
Henry was the last Emperor to be crowned in Rome and as Imperial influence in Italy began to wane, starting with Florence, in 1455, lands began to renounce their fealty to the Emperor.
The Balkans and Eastern Europe
Constantly interfering in each other's internal affairs Vladislav II of Vlachia supported the usurpation of the Molavian throne, by Petru Aron in 1454, from his enemy Alexander I.
Conflict between Vladislav II and his once mentor, John Hunyadi, escalated causing Hunyadi to throw his support in 1454, behind Vlad the Impaler for the throne of Vlachia. Civil War broke out the next Year. Vladislav was killed in hand to hand combat by Vlad the Impaler, who succeeded him.
Matthias Corvinus followed his father, John Hunyadi as King of Buda in 1458, at age 14, he had to cope with an attempted coup, but, once secure on his throne he set about formalising what has been only de-facto under his father, the vassalisation of Szeged, Ungar, Banat and the land the family had migrated from, Hunyad, which he claimed as his own.
Albania
The new state went through some teething troubles that others sought to take advantage of. A brief war between Albania and Venice lasted only a year with minor gains for Albania.
After the loss of the Morea and Athens to Byzantium the minor Angevin line of Arta was overthrown by Greco-French nobility. The capital was moved to Thessalonica, and, looking for a way to employ the troops, mainly mercenary, that had brought him to the throne, John I of Thessaly turned on Albania.
Skanderbeg had never fortified his southern border, knowing that Arta was relatively weak. That came back to haunt him now as Thessaly's forces were able to quickly take southern Albania in 1449. Late in the year Skanderbeg was able to defeat the Thessalonian forces near Berat, denying them the rich river plains south of the capital, Durres.
Skanderbeg won again at Gramsh in 1450 and broke the siege of Librakia which was the gateway to the north.
Having confined Thessalonian forces to the southern mountains the war became one of raid and counter-raid with little being gained by either side. This remained so for 10 long years, the danger to John I from the mercenaries had long passed and the war was now just a drain on his resources but, rather than come to the negotiating table, John pulled in more troops to try to finish the war in his favour.
In 1456, at Oronichea, Thessalonian forces numbering 15,000 met, but were swiftly defeated by, Skanderbeg's smaller force. Things began to fall apart at home for John, especially after a second defeat at Ujebardha in 1457.
After the deposition of John by his cousin Simeon in 1458 the war came to a swift conclusion, with neither side conceding land, Thessaly paid reparations in the form of a "pension" to Skanderbeg.
Poland and the North
In 1454 Danzig rebelled against the oppressive levies of the Prussians, receiving assistance from Poland. Prussia had supported Lithuania in their conflict with Poland over Masovia but had been over-run, Lithuania was not in the mood to get involved in what would probably be another stalemate war. The Polish army was defeated by a smaller but more professional Prussian army during the war but, a Hanse flotilla defeated the Prussians to seal the Vistula Lagoon. Whilst Poland moved slowly, seven years later Prussia had to concede its dependent states and vassals along with "Royal" Poland, a corridor to the sea and the, now Hanse city, of Danzig.
1458 saw change in Kassaria, George Podebrady was elected Protector by the Hussite majority but concentrated on consolidating his hold on the country.
Byzantium and the Middle East
After the war that vassalised Bulgaria, Byzantium struggled to recover it's strength and whilst it did so strengthened its position in Anatolia politically by marriages and treaty. By 1460 the Empire had congruent lands along the entire southern Black Sea.
Abd-al-Latif Mirza, ruler of the Timurid state, was assassinated in 1452 and the Kara Koyunlu, or Black Sheep Khanate, were able to expand into the lands left in turmoil as a result. The Ay Koyunlu, or White Sheep Khanate, their bitter rivals, expanded into Anatolia defeating Eretna and Rum in alliance with Ancara who, in adopting their Sunni form of Islam threw off their ties with Byzantium. Ancara proved that their diplomacy had been learnt from Byzantium as in under ten years they had re-claimed Karaman and Ladik for Islam and inherited Rum by marriage. Byzantium countered this by an alliance with the Ay Koyunlu, both states equally alarmed by the growth and influence of this new central Anatolian realm.
I don't understand this but I like it
Edit: after reading the thread I understand it a little more
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Philippe le Bel
Banned
Your maps are truly amazing, Bob Hope, beautifully detailed. But this War of the Blooms things is really close to OTL for a POD so far back. All the people are exactly the same, even the names and personalities, and the dates are very close.
BUT that's just constructive criticism, your maps are gorgeous!
BUT that's just constructive criticism, your maps are gorgeous!
The theory is that time repairs itself, a difference will only cause a ripple and it is the combination of the differences that the ripple causes that stop time from snapping back to it's original course. That is, if you believe in pre-ordination. Personally I just think it takes a while for the real differences to surface.
Bob Hope, you make beautiful maps. I have a question about a small detail:In your legenda you have an entry for Breda. But at the place of OTL Breda (northwest Brabant) there's nothing. What did you have in mind for that place? Or is it in a completely different place? Btw in CK II it is a separate region, in OTL it never was.
The World of Southern Aggression in 2016:
POD: The North secedes from the US in 1861; it is defeated and the entire US becomes a "Draka-lite".
The League (Slaver Powers):
United States
Russian Empire
British Empire
Kingdom of Spain
Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Serbia-Bosnia
Hellenic Kingdom
Empire of Greater Bolivaria
Free Belgium
Manchu Empire
Equitern (Equalist Powers):
French Republic
Canada-Pacifica
Australasian Federation
Frankfurt Republic
Polish Republic
Mexican Republic
Republic of Mauritania
Republic of Azawad
Republic of the Ivory Coast
Republic of Morocco
Kingdom of Somalia
Republic of Indo-China
Republico of Madagascar
Shanghai Pact (Non-Aligned Movement):
Chinese Imperium
Scandinavian Confederation
Federal Republic of Brazil
United Provinces of La Plata
Italian Republic
Ottoman Union
Delhi Sultanate
Republic of Vietnam
Korea-Japan
Kingdom of the Netherlands
POD: The North secedes from the US in 1861; it is defeated and the entire US becomes a "Draka-lite".
The League (Slaver Powers):
United States
Russian Empire
British Empire
Kingdom of Spain
Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Serbia-Bosnia
Hellenic Kingdom
Empire of Greater Bolivaria
Free Belgium
Manchu Empire
Equitern (Equalist Powers):
French Republic
Canada-Pacifica
Australasian Federation
Frankfurt Republic
Polish Republic
Mexican Republic
Republic of Mauritania
Republic of Azawad
Republic of the Ivory Coast
Republic of Morocco
Kingdom of Somalia
Republic of Indo-China
Republico of Madagascar
Shanghai Pact (Non-Aligned Movement):
Chinese Imperium
Scandinavian Confederation
Federal Republic of Brazil
United Provinces of La Plata
Italian Republic
Ottoman Union
Delhi Sultanate
Republic of Vietnam
Korea-Japan
Kingdom of the Netherlands
You answered your own question down below, they are supposed to be the Baltic Countries equivalent.
ASSRs are DEFINITELY called for, I totally agree, but since this map was literally only made in like 1 1/2 hours as a proof-of-concept thing, I didn't really bother.
(German)-Austrian is a play on Belo(russia) and a reference to Republik Deutschösterreich. If I was to redo the map, I would make oblasts.
Originally I did intend for it to be representative of the territory Russia got after WW2, but after more consideration of this universe, I've decided for the roles of Poland and Romania to be switched, and that territory to represent Bessarabia/Moldova.
Hopefully this answers any more questions
For an 1861 POD, the lineup of slaver and anti-slaving powers seems a bit...counter-intuitive. Britain, which banned slavery in 1833, is one of the slaver powers, while Mauritania, which still has slavery problems today, is anti-slavery? Sure, good AH should confound conventional expectations and prejudices, but some explanation is probably needed.
For starters, this isn't technically my TL - it's actaully a DBWI that became a group-TL.
Great Britain was still racist in 1861, and it pretends to not practice slavery while still treating non-Europeans terribly.
Mauretania is a former French colony. France is very radically Equalist, and made sure to supress slavery. Most of its colonies gained independence, and Mauretania is one of them.
Every European nation was racist in 1861, including the French. And that hardly means that allying with "Draka-light" would be popular. But, as you say, not your TL, so no further criticism.
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