1592 (100 years after the Reorganization of Atlantis and Africa)
The Ottoman Empire is ascendant.
The Peace of Aeaea has confirmed the new order of Europe: The Alps serve to divide Christendom from Dar al-Islam. The Siege of Vienna came and went, with the Ottomans marching through the Gates and sending the Hapsburg court fleeing for Italy. Large piles of silver enticed the cooperation of the local merchant class in Italy as well of that of several minor nobles and the Duke of Bavaria. After the Venetians negotiated a surrender, all roads led to Rome for the Ottomans. The unstoppable tide of the Sultan crashed upon the gates to Rome and a seven nation army couldn't hold it back. The Papacy fled to Avignon, and though Catholic Church of Rome is autocephalus, The Ottomans keep the clergy under much tighter control than their Eastern Orthodox cousins. Spanish efforts to retake the Italian Peninsula have been bloody and futile. The Spanish invasion of 1574 was such a military disaster, the Spanish, against the wishes of the Pope in Avignon and signed peace on the Venetian island of Aeaea[1]. The Hapsburgs and France refused to sign, but were unable to launch serious counter attacks through the well-defended Alpine passes (on numerous occasions, the Turks blasted the side of a mountain to bring down avalanches upon their foes). Despite infrequent rebellions, the economic prosperity and pro-merchant policies have softened the Christian resistance to Muslim rule from the populace.
In the Andes, the mit'a system has worked wonders for the Ottomans, with various Andean suzerain states paying tribute in potatoes and silver. Conversion to Islam was achieved quickly when Ottoman medical doctors were able to save the life of the Sapu Inca, though actual Islamization of the populace took time and did involve violence. Horses and camels have aided the expansion of the Ottomans and their Quechua allies through South America. The desire for slaves has incentivized the Mapuche and other tribes in the periphery to start slave raids against their neighbors.
In the Indian Ocean, swords have clashed with the Siamese in the Straits of Malacca, the Portuguese in the southern seas, and the Mughals in Gujarat. Ottoman efforts to keep the Iberian powers marginal in the Indian Ocean has been relatively successful, with the Spanish and Portuguese struggling to gain a foothold in the Moluccas.
Spain and Portugal have divided the known world between them, with Spain taking the Pacific and North Atlantic, Portugal taking the Indian and South Atlantic.
The North Atlantic Ring stretches from San Lorenzo[2] in the north to the African colonies, and across the sea to the holdings in Atlantis[3], primarily a market driven by slaves, salt, tobacco, and gold. Tobacco is grown along the African coast, while Conquistadors move into the Sahara to gain a monopoly over the gold and salt trade. Slaves are secured from across the empire, particularly in Africa where a reverse devshirme ensures a constant supply of young men to serve the Spanish king. The Egyptian-West Venetian alliance has held firm, and with the creation of the pirate state of Quizquayya[4] has served to hamper Spanish expansion in the Caribbean. The Aztec interregnum has finally ended, but the king is (rightfully) distrustful of the foreigners, and has tried to consolidate the state and turn the imported technologies against the invaders.
The South Atlantic ring is less complete, but is more reliant on slavery, with the Portuguese taking African slaves across the Atlantic world, even going to the Indian ocean and selling them in Muscat and Aden. The Kingdom of Kongo, recovering from a period of civil war and famine, has been preying on refugees traveling north to escape the cold, and has been expanding into the disappearing rainforest. Viseu y Beja [5] are profitable tobacco islands, and their population is growing quickly.
The Indian Ocean Ring is much less secure than OTL, with the Ottomans outright controlling most of the Atlantean coasts and being active participants in the rest of the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese are much more reliant on their Indian colonies, and have been reminded every so often by local powers that they are guests.
The Pacific Ring is steadily becoming more important to the Spanish as the years role on. The depopulation of the southern cone of Africa has allowed Spanish settlement of the area around Australija[6] and Puerta de Esperanza[7], and the Spanish have looted and occupied the Swahili coast city states, slowly draining them of timber and slaves. The Spanish finally found their Prester John in Ethiopia, and have worked to turn them into the Christian force on the continent. Between generous supplies of weapons and Jesuit missionaries, the Spanish and Ethiopians have become fast friends. The Yope in Mexico have also come around to Spanish aide, and the Aztecs are keeping their eyes firm on Acapulco, waiting to see if the Spanish bring something they cant afford to miss. The Spanish have several small islands in the Western Pacific, from Macau to Juyguio[8]. The Spanish encountered the Tu'i Tonga, and have been plotting with the King to expand the empire (under a Catholic banner, of course).
[1] Barbados, currently between Italy and Trinidad. Venetian-owned, most of the Arawak people suffered from plagues brought by the Italians
[2] Anticosti Island, used as a base for Basque whalers to trade with the local natives
[3] South America
[4] Hispaniola - many pirates of the Barbary Coast fled after the Spanish invasion and smuggled their families with them. In Quizquayya, they founded a representative government, and have been slowly incorporating more Taino as they convert increasingly to Islam.
[5] The Falklands - they've acquired a more temperate climate
[6] Port Elizabeth - the mountains are significantly less inviting, and Xhosa people have gathered at this location to survive off of fishing and seal-hunting. The Spanish established a fort and converted these survivors to Catholicism
[7] Maputo - originally a great base to conduct raids on the Swahili city states, it experienced a gold-rush, and many young sailors from across the Atlantic world have flocked to Puerta de Esperanza for a hope of getting rich quick
[8] Waigeo, a port for reaching the Moluccas, but far enough away as to not attract attention from the local navies
The Ottoman Empire is ascendant.
The Peace of Aeaea has confirmed the new order of Europe: The Alps serve to divide Christendom from Dar al-Islam. The Siege of Vienna came and went, with the Ottomans marching through the Gates and sending the Hapsburg court fleeing for Italy. Large piles of silver enticed the cooperation of the local merchant class in Italy as well of that of several minor nobles and the Duke of Bavaria. After the Venetians negotiated a surrender, all roads led to Rome for the Ottomans. The unstoppable tide of the Sultan crashed upon the gates to Rome and a seven nation army couldn't hold it back. The Papacy fled to Avignon, and though Catholic Church of Rome is autocephalus, The Ottomans keep the clergy under much tighter control than their Eastern Orthodox cousins. Spanish efforts to retake the Italian Peninsula have been bloody and futile. The Spanish invasion of 1574 was such a military disaster, the Spanish, against the wishes of the Pope in Avignon and signed peace on the Venetian island of Aeaea[1]. The Hapsburgs and France refused to sign, but were unable to launch serious counter attacks through the well-defended Alpine passes (on numerous occasions, the Turks blasted the side of a mountain to bring down avalanches upon their foes). Despite infrequent rebellions, the economic prosperity and pro-merchant policies have softened the Christian resistance to Muslim rule from the populace.
In the Andes, the mit'a system has worked wonders for the Ottomans, with various Andean suzerain states paying tribute in potatoes and silver. Conversion to Islam was achieved quickly when Ottoman medical doctors were able to save the life of the Sapu Inca, though actual Islamization of the populace took time and did involve violence. Horses and camels have aided the expansion of the Ottomans and their Quechua allies through South America. The desire for slaves has incentivized the Mapuche and other tribes in the periphery to start slave raids against their neighbors.
In the Indian Ocean, swords have clashed with the Siamese in the Straits of Malacca, the Portuguese in the southern seas, and the Mughals in Gujarat. Ottoman efforts to keep the Iberian powers marginal in the Indian Ocean has been relatively successful, with the Spanish and Portuguese struggling to gain a foothold in the Moluccas.
Spain and Portugal have divided the known world between them, with Spain taking the Pacific and North Atlantic, Portugal taking the Indian and South Atlantic.
The North Atlantic Ring stretches from San Lorenzo[2] in the north to the African colonies, and across the sea to the holdings in Atlantis[3], primarily a market driven by slaves, salt, tobacco, and gold. Tobacco is grown along the African coast, while Conquistadors move into the Sahara to gain a monopoly over the gold and salt trade. Slaves are secured from across the empire, particularly in Africa where a reverse devshirme ensures a constant supply of young men to serve the Spanish king. The Egyptian-West Venetian alliance has held firm, and with the creation of the pirate state of Quizquayya[4] has served to hamper Spanish expansion in the Caribbean. The Aztec interregnum has finally ended, but the king is (rightfully) distrustful of the foreigners, and has tried to consolidate the state and turn the imported technologies against the invaders.
The South Atlantic ring is less complete, but is more reliant on slavery, with the Portuguese taking African slaves across the Atlantic world, even going to the Indian ocean and selling them in Muscat and Aden. The Kingdom of Kongo, recovering from a period of civil war and famine, has been preying on refugees traveling north to escape the cold, and has been expanding into the disappearing rainforest. Viseu y Beja [5] are profitable tobacco islands, and their population is growing quickly.
The Indian Ocean Ring is much less secure than OTL, with the Ottomans outright controlling most of the Atlantean coasts and being active participants in the rest of the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese are much more reliant on their Indian colonies, and have been reminded every so often by local powers that they are guests.
The Pacific Ring is steadily becoming more important to the Spanish as the years role on. The depopulation of the southern cone of Africa has allowed Spanish settlement of the area around Australija[6] and Puerta de Esperanza[7], and the Spanish have looted and occupied the Swahili coast city states, slowly draining them of timber and slaves. The Spanish finally found their Prester John in Ethiopia, and have worked to turn them into the Christian force on the continent. Between generous supplies of weapons and Jesuit missionaries, the Spanish and Ethiopians have become fast friends. The Yope in Mexico have also come around to Spanish aide, and the Aztecs are keeping their eyes firm on Acapulco, waiting to see if the Spanish bring something they cant afford to miss. The Spanish have several small islands in the Western Pacific, from Macau to Juyguio[8]. The Spanish encountered the Tu'i Tonga, and have been plotting with the King to expand the empire (under a Catholic banner, of course).
[1] Barbados, currently between Italy and Trinidad. Venetian-owned, most of the Arawak people suffered from plagues brought by the Italians
[2] Anticosti Island, used as a base for Basque whalers to trade with the local natives
[3] South America
[4] Hispaniola - many pirates of the Barbary Coast fled after the Spanish invasion and smuggled their families with them. In Quizquayya, they founded a representative government, and have been slowly incorporating more Taino as they convert increasingly to Islam.
[5] The Falklands - they've acquired a more temperate climate
[6] Port Elizabeth - the mountains are significantly less inviting, and Xhosa people have gathered at this location to survive off of fishing and seal-hunting. The Spanish established a fort and converted these survivors to Catholicism
[7] Maputo - originally a great base to conduct raids on the Swahili city states, it experienced a gold-rush, and many young sailors from across the Atlantic world have flocked to Puerta de Esperanza for a hope of getting rich quick
[8] Waigeo, a port for reaching the Moluccas, but far enough away as to not attract attention from the local navies
