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Dagoth Ur

Banned
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Red: Redeemer-controlled territory
Blue: Black nationalist-controlled territory
Green: AIM-controlled territory
Yellow: Assorted Mexican cartels
Magenta: Conch Republic

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Check out the rest of the scenario here!​
It's Tyrannis, not Tyrannus.
 
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In the year 320 A.D. , only 7 years after Constantine legalised Christianity, a terrible plague strikes Rome. Many pagans interpret this as Gods punishing them for forsaking them. Soon the hysteria and fervour spreads and Constantine is crucified for offending the gods.

Unfortunately for Roman paganism 33% of the empires population has already converted to Christianity. Soon civil warfare and invading barbarians rip the empire to pieces. West and East fall alike.

In this mess, new traditions rise. Various sects of gnosticism gains significant following amongst barbarian nobles that occupy the Western Empire. Gnostics partly due to their purification rituals and partly due to their secluded monastic lifestyle were largely spared from the disease and many peoples interpreted this as divine grace protecting them. Soon many of the masses are converting to various gnostics sects. Many of the rulers of Egypt and Mesopotamia encourage local gnosticisms too, aiming for it to form a bridge between Christianity and old pagan ways. History happens and 4 distinct gnostic religions came to be. It must be noted however pagan gods are still worshipped as lesser spirits in gnostic lands and for most peasantry their faith is skin deep.

History happens and world beyond Mediterranean changes too. In the highlands of Yemen, a Judaic power rises in the form of Himyarite Kingdom. Himyarites defeat Ethiopians and occupy their coasts. Himyarite king Abu Davut sends an ultimatum to Ethiopia. revert to Judaism or die. And thus Christianity in Ethiopia is replaced by Judaism.

Meanwhile in Atlas mountains, a Berber noblewoman by the name of Diheya declares herself a prophetess, Her followers forge an empire stretching from Pyrenes to Timbuktu. This empire falls but her religion persists amongst much of the conquered lands.


Unfortunately for Abrahamic religions they never manage to spread beyond middle East and Mediterranean. No Mediterranean power discovers New world, no European discovers steam engine and no great middle eastern empire conquers Western Asia.
 
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Warm and fuzzy-coloured board game-style map of the Habsburg domains in Europe. The second version portrays important industrial areas - notable chonkers include Silesia-Bohemia, Low Countries, Middle England and Oberdonau (Augs-Press).

The Industrial revolution has shaken the Empire to its core, bringing about social revolutions which now threaten to bring the ancient dynasty to its end. The clang and boom of factories, mines and dockyards echo in the streets brought to halt by protests. From the East the cold winds of nationalism sweep throughout Europe, and dissenting sects of working-class Christianity spread amonst the ghettoes, the barrios, the boweries and the slums..
 
Wilsonian Armenia
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Part of a small side-project I have been working on, focusing on the Transcaucasus. It is my attempt to create, as best as I can, what "Wilsonian" Armenia might look like. The main focus of this map is on the administrative divisions of Armenia: Divided into provinces (nahang) and counties (gavar) as per this map of the First Armenian Republic (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/..._of_the_First_Republic_of_Armenia_in_1920.png).
The part of Armenia east of the fmr. Russian-Turkish border (border highlighted black) mainly follows the divisions given in that map, which for the most part correspond to Russian Imperial uyezd. For that part which was formerly in the Ottoman Empire, I tried to model the provinces and counties on the pre-existing Ottoman administrative divisions.
As this is an Armenia of the 21ˢᵗ Century, the administrative regions are somewhat updated: There are, in addition to the "national capital region" of Yerevan, there are three "cities of republican significance": Trebizond, Erzurum and Van (or Trapizun, Karin and Van in Armenian). There are also two "autonomous regions". Perhaps unsurprisingly these are not for the Turkish, Azeri or Karapapak people - who in any event are large enough minorities to be represented in government through conventional means - but for the Lazes of Trebizond Province and for the Kurds of Syunik Province.

I hope to get round to developing this into electoral maps, etc.

Parts of administrative entities whose capital fell outside the borders of Wilsonian Armenia were merged with neighbours.
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Wilsonian Armenia
mR4fxFE.png

KdMqY3i.png
Part of a small side-project I have been working on, focusing on the Transcaucasus. It is my attempt to create, as best as I can, what "Wilsonian" Armenia might look like. The main focus of this map is on the administrative divisions of Armenia: Divided into provinces (nahang) and counties (gavar) as per this map of the First Armenian Republic (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/..._of_the_First_Republic_of_Armenia_in_1920.png).
The part of Armenia east of the fmr. Russian-Turkish border (border highlighted black) mainly follows the divisions given in that map, which for the most part correspond to Russian Imperial uyezd. For that part which was formerly in the Ottoman Empire, I tried to model the provinces and counties on the pre-existing Ottoman administrative divisions.
As this is an Armenia of the 21ˢᵗ Century, the administrative regions are somewhat updated: There are, in addition to the "national capital region" of Yerevan, there are three "cities of republican significance": Trebizond, Erzurum and Van (or Trapizun, Karin and Van in Armenian). There are also two "autonomous regions". Perhaps unsurprisingly these are not for the Turkish, Azeri or Karapapak people - who in any event are large enough minorities to be represented in government through conventional means - but for the Lazes of Trebizond Province and for the Kurds of Syunik Province.

I hope to get round to developing this into electoral maps, etc.

Parts of administrative entities whose capital fell outside the borders of Wilsonian Armenia were merged with neighbours.
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In 1918, there were ~1.5 million Armenians, ~4-~4.5 million Turks (counting Azeris), ~300,000 Georgians and ~200,000 - ~250,000 Greeks in the region. How's a Turkish Majority Armenia even surviving?
 
Just realizing I forgot to post this here.

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The point of divergence in this world is in 1529, when the Ottomans successfully won at Vienna. Thirteen years later, the Ottoman bombards saw action at Rome, where they smashed a hole in the Leonine Wall and, within two days, the city had been overrun by Janissaries and the star and crescent raised over the city, where it flies to this day. Alongside, the Ottomans, the gunpowder empires of Persia and India have survived and prospered and have even been joined by a new cast of well-armed non-European regional powers.

- The Ottoman Empire, now called Rome, is the dominant power of the Mediterranean. Since the capture of the city of Rome, Turkish settlers have moved into Italy while native Italian Christians have been assimilated by the sword. Between 1550 and 1650, the Empire was divided into two camps: the Occidentalists, who favored moving the capital to Rome and centering the empire around the Italian Peninsula and the Orientalists, who hoped to keep the Sultan in Istanbul and treat his title as Roman Emperor as secondary. Ultimately, the Occidentalists won out, partly because of a series of wars with the Safavids and Egyptians that threatened Istanbul’s security. Since 1650, the Ottomans have been a heavily maritime power. Though their territory encompasses much of the Balkans, much of the interior is a backwater where Turks do not travel. The coast, however, is heavily Muslim and has many Turks. A more west-focused Ottoman state never conquered as far into the Levant, and has lost ground to a Byzantine revival state out of Trabzon. Consequently, Turkish Anatolia is fairly small. Rome’s primary rival as of 1790 is the Commonwealth. Hosting the Pope, the Commonwealth is the leader of the Catholic world and has hopes of one day expelling the Turks from Europe. As part of a campaign to weaken the Poles, the Turks have encouraged the growth of Protestantism among their Catholic population while openly backing a Lutheran Kingdom of Bavaria. This has been fairly successful and the Turco-Protestant friendship means that the Poles would face trouble in Germany if ever they attempted to wage war against Rome.

- The state of religion in this world is complex. The Fall of Rome was a serious psychological blow to a Catholic world already reeling from the Reformation. After Italy, one would expect the Catholic center of gravity to move to Spain and, indeed for a time it did. But, several decades after the fall of Rome, an Ottoman-financed army of Morisco exiles, Morroccans, and adventurers from across the Islamic world invaded Spain while the Spanish were busy intervening in one of the endless French religious struggles. The Morisco Invasion of 1572 simply broke Spain. Philip II and Prince Ferdinand were killed on the walls at the Siege of Toledo and when the smoke cleared, Aragon and Portugal had broken off. Aragon had seen a growth in Calvinism in the past several decades, and the merchant cities of the coast were pleased to break ties with the Catholics of Castile. Portugal quickly came under the control of the English, giving rise to the Anglo-Portuguese Empire.

- The rest of Spain has become a region of shifting borders. The two strongest powers are Ispaniya, a Morisco state, and a rump Castile. Other players in the Spanish game include the Free City of Madrid, the Kingdom of Cantabria, and the Anglo-Portuguese-dominated Galicia. Though in its early days Ispaniya was an ally and dependency of the Turks, it has made an about face and now emphasizes its mixed Euro-Muslim heritage. It has taken land from Morocco and has begun to build a colonial empire using its port at Qadis. Castile is a nation with a chip on its shoulder. Under a monarchy descended from the Habsburgs, it still talks of its days of glory that were brought to an end by traitorous Moriscos and Protestants. It’s not a good place to be for anyone that’s not a Castilian-speaking Catholic.

- The Anglo-Portuguese Empire is the world’s premier maritime power. It was founded towards the end of the 16th century as Spain collapsed and an English prince took the throne. Though it was a personal union for decades, the Empire was declared at the beginning of the 18th century. Ironically, despite the Empire’s name, England itself is actually held by the Republic of England. Following years of Stuart rule, the Calvinist majority population of England revolted in 1717. The defection of English sailors to the Calvinist cause made it impossible for sufficient forces to be ferried to defeat the rebels and in 1722 the Republic was founded. The border between the Republic and Empire south of the Humber remains heavily disputed and militarized. The Empire has colonial domains around the world, though in recent years it has come into conflict with the powerful Safavid and Mughal Empires, which have larger land forces than the Anglo-Portuguese could ever hope to muster. Though its relations with the Pope in Warsaw are often tense, the Empire remains Catholic and has done its part to expand the Church around the world.

- The late 16th and 17th centuries saw religious conflict across Europe. As the Ottomans consolidated Southern Europe, Protestantism spread throughout the Catholic world. Calvinism took off across Germany, Southern France, and Hungary, while Lutheranism took hold in Germany and Scandinavia. The period was filled with religious wars between and within states and in many cases, the Protestants were bankrolled by the Ottoman Turks. Ultimately, the manpower of the Catholic world overwhelmed the Protestants and at present, Catholics dominate the Northern European Plain, the Turks dominate the south, and the Protestants are jammed in the middle.

- Poland is the dominant power of Christian Europe. After the Pope fled from Rome he established himself in Avignon. The rise of the Grimaldi pirate sultanate and Calvinism in Southern France eventually forced him to move to Warsaw. With the Papacy based in Warsaw, the Poles have become the Defenders of the Faith (of course, the fact that few other Catholic states are powerful helps) Though the Jesuits and other leaders of the Counter Reformation pushed for Polish Kings to be less tolerant of Protestants and Jews, Jews are fairly well-treated in Poland. Protestants, however, are not and the flight of Protestants eastwards was one of the factors leading to the rise of the Cossacks. The old government of Poland-Lithuania was replaced in 1728 and the Commonwealth was created. As a unitary monarchy, the country is well managed and has a clear line of succession. The Turco-Polish frontier stretches across 1,000 miles of Eastern Europe, and is a major fault line. The Poles absolutely detest the Turks, and talk of a holy war to reclaim the former Christian Balkans and Italy is common. Consequently, it is a heavily fortified and well-manned borderland on both sides.

- The states of Northern Europe had a rough 150 years following 1517. With Turks encroaching from the south and encouraging Protestant revolts, the Holy Roman Empire broke apart in a frenzy of violence. The cachet of the Habsburgs was gone following Vienna, and though several powers vied for dominance, it was ultimately the Poles that became the power in Germany. Under the Poles (and in a several decade process), the jumble of tiny principalities that was the HRE was refined into half a dozen regional kingdoms. They have remained that way despite several risings in the last century and a half. Politically, the Germans parrot the line coming out of Warsaw and, religiously, they are primarily Catholic. Despite war, persecution, and emigration to other Protestant states or Tierra Firme, there remains a considerable Protestant population in the region that is opposed to both Poland and its puppet kings. In recent years, something similar to proto-nationalism has developed as German burghers corresponding with each other have discussed the eviction of the Poles from the region.

- Sweden, despite being Lutheran, was able to stay out of the European Wars of Religion. Under the Vasa Dynasty, it expanded eastwards into Finland and the Baltics. By the start of the 17th century, it had become a major power and begun to seek the support of Lutherans in Germany. A series of wars were fought with Poland, though there were no significant changes as a result of those wars. Most notably, Sweden’s defeat signalled that expansion in Europe was a dead end, which has led to the establishment of the St. Bridget’s Land colony in North America and the construction of a series of posts down the African Coast that has led to Swedish power in the Indian Ocean. In the late 17th century, Sweden once again united with Norway, forming the United Kingdoms. The union is not especially popular in Norway, though the sheer strength of Sweden makes any sort of resistance futile. Sweden is notable on the world stage for the Englundists. A branch of Lutheranism, Englundism is a synthesis of Sami polytheism with Christianity. With the help of emotional evangelical preachers, Englundism has spread out of Lappland into Russia and it now has small clusters of adherents around the world. Sweden remains a force to be reckoned with at the end of the 18th century, though it is not especially involved in continental affairs.

- The Protestant states of continental Europe have been force to form the League of Basel to assure their defense against an attack from the Catholic world. The League’s two strongest states are Narbotiquaine and Aragon. Though historically terrestrial powers, in the past few decades the continental Protestant powers have entered the colonial game. Aragon has set up a string of settlements on the West African coast, while the Narbotiquainians have established a foothold at the southeastern tip of Africa. They have come into contact with the Hlubi, who are currently vying with Narbotiquaine for dominance in the Bantu states of the region. Elsewhere, Protestant missionaries have been active in Africa for generations, and the most notable of the Protestant states of Africa is Kru, which has a modern army and dreams of greatness.

- The once-great state of France has fallen on hard times. The rise of the Ottomans and their support of the Calvinists of Southern France drained French resources and the end result of all this was a France confined to just the north. A weak state fearful of Protestant invasion from the south and Polish influence from the east, France is an afterthought in European affairs. Aside from the perhaps 15% of French Protestants, France is fairly unified, which is good because it has little else going for it.
- The rise of Poland was a frightening thing for Russia. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries it sought allies to protect it against the Commonwealth. It found the Protestants and so the famed Russo-Protestant Alliance was formed between the League of Basel and the Tsardom of Russia. Having to protect against a possible Polish invasion has been costly for Russia, which has prohibited significant expansion east of the Urals. Instead, Russian treaties with the Cossack states of the region allow for Russian merchants to penetrate into Asia. Culturally, Russia is very much in the shadow of the Calvinist world. Under Dmitri III, Russia underwent a period of modernization and copied elements of Southern French and Aragonese culture. The Russian Church was extensively reformed and adopted pieces of Calvinist theology. This move was not without its detractors and many of the so-called Old Believers moved east into the lands of the Cossacks. Though Dmitri’s plans were never fully realized, the Russia of 1790 has transformed itself into a respectable state with a large, well-trained military. The tables have shifted and there are now some in Poland that fear Russian invasion.

- Running east from Russia are a series of Cossack states. The Cossacks are a group of Slavic peoples from Central and Eastern Europe that moved into the steppes and adopted a mounted lifestyle. Ottoman and Crimean Tatar campaigns in the Ukraine effectively pushed the Cossacks from that region, leading to an exodus further into the steppes. The ranks of Ukrainian Cossacks were bolstered by Polish and German Protestants as well as many people simply fleeing the Commonwealth or Russia. Over several centuries, the Cossacks worked their way across the entirety of Asia and there is now a belt of states from the Urals to the Sea of Okhotsk. Their culture is a mixture of European, Turkic, Siberian, and East Asian and hard to pin down. It is a religiously diverse region, with Catholics, Orthodoxes, Protestants, and even Buddhists in the east influenced by the Manchu. Cossack military prowess is recognized across the region and Cossack officers and regiments are retained by many countries. In Turgaj, a Turkic sultanate in Central Asia, these mercenaries became so powerful that they are the de jure government of the state and keep the Sultan on only as a figurehead. The Cossacks would be a formidable force if they ever could be united, but at the moment they seem content to eke out an existence along the fringes of the civilized world.

- After the Turks centered their state on Rome, the eastern half of Anatolia fell to sepratist kingdoms and the Safavids. The most notable of the seperatist kingdoms is Trabzon. Established by the still-vibrant Greek Orthodox communities of the northeast, Trabzon was forced to play the Turks and Safavid Persians on each other to stave off conquest. This game proved successful, and Trabzon survives to this day. It is often referred to as the Neo-Byzantine Empire, in reference to the fact that it has consciously attempted to emulate the forms of the old empire and in some cases has even revived traditions that died before Constantinople fell in 1453. The Trabzon branch of Orthodoxy is considered a bit odd in the rest of the Orthodox world. Out of necessity, Trabzon, Armenia, and Georgia have established a Christian alliance that is quite formidable.

- Defense against the Safavids is the primary goal of the alliance and given the size and ambition of the Persian state, one can see why the Christians feel the need to band together. Nearly three centuries after its foundation, Safavid Persia just keeps on chugging. It has transformed into quite a behemoth and it’s no secret that they have designs on the Holy Cities and dreams of expansion in all directions. Perhaps due to their constant victories, the Safavids have been very successful in converting the Persians, Arabs, Kurds, and Turks of the realm to Shia Islam. With a strong empire and security in the mountains of Persia, the Safavids very well could keep on expanding and become a hegemon in the Middle East.

- In the south of Arabia is the Zaidi State. Under a series of imams of the Zaidi sect, Yemen has become a staunch Persian ally and these two Shia states encircle much of Sunni Arabia. Yemen is not especially tolerant, and over a century ago expelled the Jews, leading to the formation of New Israel, a Jewish state in Africa. The Zaidi State is known for its military prowess and throughout its history it has fought a number of wars of expansion in which it has taken the coastal regions of Mascat. This has created a staunch enemy in the form of the Ibadi Imamate of Oman.

- The other great Muslim power of Africa is Egypt. After the fall of the Mamluks, the Egyptians spent decades as an Ottoman territory but during the move to Rome, an Egyptian revolt succeeded. This revolt, under a Lebanese-born Mamluk named Sherif, ended with the establishment of a hereditary monarchy and the sidelining of the Mamluks. This move was costly at first as it left Egypt without a strong military, but in the long run proved beneficial as the monarchy became the only power within the country. Egypt defeated many of the post-Ottoman warlord states and conquered the western edge of the Levant as well as the northern coast of Africa. Egypt remains powerful, but is stymied by the fact its population is concentrated along the Nile and the outlying regions are almost entirely populated by ethnic minorities (or other Arabs) that are not always willing to back the Egyptian Sultan. This puts it at a disadvantage as compared to the Turks and Persians who have ethnicity and religion as unifying factors.

- The collapse of the old Omani maritime empire under the weight of the Zaidis led to a period of political vacuum in East Africa. The Anglo-Portuguese attempted to assert themselves, but a series of colonial wars in Japan distracted them. This was the rise of the Zanzibari System. From the island of Zanzibar, Arab merchants and diplomats united the Arab and Swahili city-states of East Africa into a rough, economically-focused alliance. The System has proven remarkably durable and with its adjudication framework, has successfully overseen the expansion of Arab-Swahili civilization west to the Great Lakes and even further (though there are considerable regions in the uplands of Tanzania that are barely integrated with the rest of the System). In the north, the System took advantage of the Oromo migrations by supporting the new Oromo statelets as well as New Israel at the expense of the weakening Ethiopian Kingdom. As of 1790, the System remains strong and maintains a rivalry with the Anglo-Portuguese colony of Sofala.

- The Mughals have done very well for themselves. A series of strong emperors has made the Mughals a strong and well-armed empire. While it is true that they lost territories to the north of the Ganges in as series of wars to the Gorkhali, they more than made up for those losses with expansion into southern half of the subcontinent and the conquest of the Hindu Kush region. While it is a good time to be Muslim, it is a bad time to be an infidel. Hinduism and Buddhism have been rooted out by the sword, and in the case of the Sikhs, there have been large-scale expulsions from the Punjab forcing the group into central India. However, conversions to Islam have been fairly successful and the Mughals rule a predominantly Muslim people that are content with their leadership. The biggest problem for the Mughals is that they are bordered by strong states in the west, north, and south which leaves little room for expansion and forces the devotion of resources to the defense of the borders.

- One of the most recent arrivals on the world scene is the Gorkha Kingdom. Exploding out of the mountains of the north of India, the Hindu Gorkhas attacked their neighbors in the late 16th century. Though falling under Mughal domination for a time, the Gorkhas eventually threw off their chains and united the statelets of the mountain into an Empire. Almost immediately, the Empire marched into the lowlands north of the Ganges, which it took from the Mughals. Later on, the Gorkha monarchy attempted the impossible and sent its army across the Himalayas and successfully defeated Tibet and annexed most of it. The Gorkha reputation for mastery of the art of war remains centuries after their first conquests. With a massive standing army, Gorkhali is often referred to as an army with a state, a statement which is not untrue. For decades the Gorkhas and Mughals had an understanding and remained at peace, the successful end to the Gorkha campaigns in Assam has led to a renewal of tensions and Gorkha talks of alliance with the Anglo-Portuguese Empire.

- The old Ming Dynasty collapsed in the middle of the 17th century as a result of internal and external pressures. Though the Manchu Later Jin pressed a claim on the Dragon Throne, it was ultimately a Han family from southern Jiangsu that established the dominant state: the Yang Dynasty. The Yangs have remained entrenched throughout China for nearly 150 years. Though strong on paper, they are by no means loved across the country. After their expulsion from Beijing the Ming did not disappear. Instead, two successor states, the Southern Ming (Kunming and Dadu courts) exist. The Kunming Court was initially the more legitimate successor, but in 1750 the Crown Prince converted to Islam and in the last few decades, Islam has exploded in popularity. This has led to allegations that the Kunming Court is no longer truly Chinese. The Dadu Court began as a coalition of pirates run by a “regent” and this situation has stayed in place despite the fact no Emperor has ever been crowned by the Regent in Dadu. At the moment there are many districts along the Guangdong and Fujian coasts that listen only to the Court in Dadu. Both the Yang Dynasty and Dadu Southern Ming have recently seen an uptick in European merchants and missionaries and change could be on the way.

- In the north, the Later Jin are still kicking. Their defeat by the Yang remains a serious sore point and they still hope to one day conquer all of China. In the meantime, they have asserted their control over Mongolia and have become a formidable military power. If their population was anywhere near that of Yang China’s, the Jin would have been the master of China decades ago. The Jin are also notable in that they have influenced the Cossacks to their north. A number of Cossacks of the region have adopted Buddhism while many that remain Christians have adopted Chinese forms of government.

- Ayutthaya dominates southeast Asia. Ayutthaya arose out of a collection of city states along the Chao Phraya River in the 14th century but by the start of the 16th century had reformed into a single, unitary kingdom. Ayutthaya was helped by the fact that its traditional enemy, Malacca, was also an enemy of the Portuguese, who aided Ayutthaya and provided firearms to its military. Ayutthayan expansionism took off in the start of the 17th century and in the next century and a half it had swallowed up Cambodia, Lan Xang, and advanced into Burma. In the 18th century, Ayutthaya was ruled by the long-lived Ramathibodi IV. Ramathibodi IV was not a conqueror but a reformer and under his reign, roads ad post offices were built across the empire and a rudimentary public schooling system was established. Consequently, Ayutthaya is a very well-run state with an effective bureaucracy that can head off possible unrest through its good management of the country. Ayutthaya has retained its friendship with Anglo-Portugal and the two still cooperate in the region. There are, however, some Anglo-Portuguese generals back Edinburgh that fear what they have created and have raised concerns that someday the Thai might decide they no longer need to be friends with Europe.

- The Spanish Philippines colony was very new when the empire collapsed, and it was only through luck that the colonists hung on. During stretches of the 16th and 17th centuries the so-called Kingdom of Cebu was a vassal of Mexico, the Anglo-Portuguese Empire, and even the Southern Ming, but it has maintained its independence in spite of that. It is, put simply, not a fun place. A rigid racial hierarchy remains in place and slavery remains legal (though, at least in the eyes of the law, most of the country’s population is serfs) Poor treatment of Muslims has led to a number of invasions by the Islamic states of Brunei and Sulu, which have only ended in Cebuite victory because the Anglo-Portuguese, Southern Ming, or Swedes have bailed them out. It’s unclear exactly how long this outpost of Spanishdom will survive.

- Both Brunei and Sulu are strong maritime powers. Because of years of trade and influence from the weak Cebuites, these two states have managed to adopt modern technologies and stay out from under the toe of a larger European empire. Their navies are strong and could hold their own against any of the colonial powers’ East Asian squadrons. Both Brunei and Sulu have cooperated on occasion (like when invading Cebu) but their leaders are cutthroat merchants at heart and generally, these two states are not on good terms.

- The Japanese islands have been heavily influenced by Europe. Spanish and later Anglo-Portuguese missionaries converted many Japanese to Catholicism and ultimately the Catholics of Japan prevailed when a Catholic daimyo ended the Sengoku Period by establishing himself as Shogun and converting the Emperor by the sword. This obviously met with opposition by Shinto warlords and in spite of a Japanese Inquisition established to convert all of Japan, there are still many pagans across the island. Japan is by no means weak, but is still very much in the shadow of the Anglo-Portuguese. North of Japan is Aynu Mosir. The Ainu were exposed to Protestantism by Cossacks of French descent and sea-going missionaries. Ainu petty kings adopted Calvinism and saw support from the Swedes and Cossacks which enabled them to extend protection to a group of Shinto daimyos at the northern end of Honshu. The Japan-Ainu rivalry is intense and a microcosm of some of the tensions that wrack Europe. Interestingly, despite its smaller size, Aynu Mosir is considered stronger due to its homogenous population and an outsized armaments industry.


- The chaos of the Morisco Invasion and subsequent Portuguese and Aragonese revolts spelled the end of the Spanish Empire. Over several decades, Spain’s colonies broke from colony to dependencies to fully independent states. The most powerful of these states is Mexico. In the first years after Spain’s collapse, the sons of the Conquistadors faced revolts by Mexican peasants and nobles alike. Only through luck did the Spaniards prevail. Fearful of these dark days, they established an autocratic system of harsh rule by a mixed-race class of aristocrats, with an emphasis on military exploits. For a time, military orders were very popular and saw the second sons of landowners join, though the orders were severely curtailed following an attempted revolution in 1756. Mexico has continued to expand in all directions since the 1570s and has a large, modern army. Culturally, it remains a heavily stratified autocracy with a small landowning class and a large agricultural class that speaks a mixture of 16th century Castilian mixed with many words of local origin. Though the country still, in theory, follows the Pope in Warsaw, the Archbishop of Mexico City is the head of the Mexican Church. The Church is wildly divergent from mainline Catholicism and has adopted a number of native practices.

- The collapse of the Spanish Empire was a stroke of luck for the Welser family. Though their Klein Venedig colony had been revoked decades before the collapse, the family still had considerable money in the region and with Spain’s power gone, local grandees rallied around charismatic Welser family head Barthlomeus VII. Bartholomeus carved out a kingdom, which he named Tierra Firme, in the province of Venezuela. With Welser money and influence, Tierra Firme came to run the Caribbean slave trade and was the most powerful state in the region. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Tierra Firme accepted waves of Germans fleeing internal strife, and has developed a large yeoman class (though some Germans have fled the Welsers and marched south, where they have carved out the state of New Braunschweig) Interestingly, religion is not much of an issue in Tierra Firme as all Protestants and Catholics are guaranteed freedom to worship. Given the disproportionate number of Lutheran immigrants, this has made Tierra Firme a very religiously divided country. Slavery is very important to the Tierra Firmese economy, and the country has even established several ports in West Africa, which it uses to import new slaves to the New World. Though Tierra Firme and Mexico are rivals, Tierra Firmese ships carry many slaves to Mexican markets.

- Further down the Andes, the Hanan Qusqu monarchy has returned. At the time of Spain’s collapse, the neo-Inca State and other groups continued their resistance to European rule. With the colony of Peru cut off from Spain itself by the Welsers, the Neo-Inca forces finally achieved victory. A new empire was established out of Vilcabamba, though it soon turned out that many of the regional leaders that had sprung up out of the Collapse were unwilling to accept a new overlord and though they nominally accepted the leadership of the Inca in Vilcabamba, they functioned as independent states. Though the Kingdom of Peru itself is small, the simple fact of its descent from the old Inca Empire means its decrees carry some weight in the region. Additionally, Vilcabamba is home to a unique branch of Christianity, with a Christian church that is heavily influenced by the old Sun-worship of the Inca. Like the rest of the region, it has a mixture of native and European influences and is best described as European forms and fashions adapted by a vibrant civilization for their own purposes.

- Even further south is the Kingdom of Collasuyu. The collapse of Spain led to an anarchic period south of Lake Titicaca as Spanish and native landowners engaged in small wars against each other. This period of anarchy came to an end only at the end of the 17th century when a petty king named Juan set out to unite the neighboring regions. Claiming descent from the Inca monarchs, Juan’s domain grew in size and in 1714 he proclaimed himself King of Collasuyu, which he named for the old Inca province. The upstart kingdom has undergone considerable centralization and has become perhaps more powerful than Peru itself. If it plays its cards right, Collasuyu could become a serious player in South America.

- The other Spanish successor state in the region, Argentina, is a fairly small state. It has broken the power of its nobility and is a more or less irrelevant place even if it is itself prosperous. To its north, the Principality of Paraguay exists. It is the brainchild of Juan Ortega, a Argentine adventurer, who carved a state out of the backcountry along the banks of the Paraguay River. Under his grandchildren, the state is a vassal of the Anglo-Portuguese colony of Brazil. Though slavery dominates along the north and east coasts of South America, the Andean states and Argentina have either outlawed it or practice a much lighter form. Consequently, the Andes hosts many escaped slaves from Tierra Firme, while the periphery of that kingdom now features the Zweitwohnsitz Republics, a series of proto-states established by runaway slaves and given their ironic name by German overseers.

- Compared with South America, there are few independent states in North America. The Anglo-Portuguese and Swedes have sizable colonies in the east while the Mexicans are pushing their way up the west coast. The Danes, Catholic French, and Moriscos have all decided to get in on the action and have settlements along the east coast. Unsurprisingly, the native inhabitants of the continent are not pleased by European settlement. In the southeast, unity has come in the form of Chochopki’s Confederacy. Chochopki, a man of Choctaw and Breton descent, united the tribes of his home region approximately a decade ago. His charisma and clear goal of a native federation to fight off European (particularly French) expansion has kept this alliance together. A series of victories against French colonial militias has raised his cachet, and rumor has it that he is paid by the Anglo-Portuguese, a historic rival of France. In the plains, a similar organization has formed. The Rainbow Confederacy (named for its encompassing of groups in all directions) is a loose alliance of native groups opposed to Mexican expansion and proselytization. The Confederacy is very decentralized and whether it can actually stand up to Euro-Mexican might is yet to be seen.

- Culturally, this world feels a bit stunted compared to OTL. Europe never seemed to evolve past the OTL 17th century wars of religion phase and has not yet hit the Enlightenment. It remains a region where superstition is common and Calvinist or Catholic fanatics in the government persecute heretics and infidels. A concept of nationalism has developed in the Polish-dominated German states, but an OTL European of 1790 would find this a backwards place.

- In general, this is a much more communitarian world. Without a large-scale Age of Reason there is very little focus on the individual and liberty outside of a merchant class in Europe.

- Technologically, this world is in a similar place to OTL, being right at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Industrial activity is flourishing in Britain and Germany, but is also flowering in Ireland, the Ganges, Manchuria, and Thailand. The future holds a world that is a technological patchwork. There will be highly advanced states scattered around the world and it is unlikely that a single region will come to dominate the entire world.

Note: This was based off a discord discussion the premise of which was a general gunpowder empire wank with the Ottomans taking Rome. Several weeks later, this is what I have come up with (with the help and input of many friends, of course) Questions and comments are, as usual, welcome.
 
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In the year 320 A.D. , only 7 years after Constantine legalised Christianity, a terrible plague strikes Rome. Many pagans interpret this as Gods punishing them for forsaking them. Soon the hysteria and fervour spreads and Constantine is crucified for offending the gods.

Unfortunately for Roman paganism 33% of the empires population has already converted to Christianity. Soon civil warfare and invading barbarians rip the empire to pieces. West and East fall alike.

In this mess, new traditions rise. Various sects of gnosticism gains significant following amongst barbarian nobles that occupy the Western Empire. Gnostics partly due to their purification rituals and partly due to their secluded monastic lifestyle were largely spared from the disease and many peoples interpreted this as divine grace protecting them. Soon many of the masses are converting to various gnostics sects. Many of the rulers of Egypt and Mesopotamia encourage local gnosticisms too, aiming for it to form a bridge between Christianity and old pagan ways. History happens and 4 distinct gnostic religions came to be. It must be noted however pagan gods are still worshipped as lesser spirits in gnostic lands and for most peasantry their faith is skin deep.

History happens and world beyond Mediterranean changes too. In the highlands of Yemen, a Judaic power rises in the form of Himyarite Kingdom. Himyarites defeat Ethiopians and occupy their coasts. Himyarite king Abu Davut sends an ultimatum to Ethiopia. revert to Judaism or die. And thus Christianity in Ethiopia is replaced by Judaism.

Meanwhile in Atlas mountains, a Berber noblewoman by the name of Diheya declares herself a prophetess, Her followers forge an empire stretching from Pyrenes to Timbuktu. This empire falls but her religion persists amongst much of the conquered lands.


Unfortunately for Abrahamic religions they never manage to spread beyond middle East and Mediterranean. No Mediterranean power discovers New world, no European discovers steam engine and no great middle eastern empire conquers Western Asia.
very cool! do you plan on doing a political map at some point?
 
Just realizing I forgot to post this here.

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The point of divergence in this world is in 1529, when the Ottomans successfully won at Vienna. Thirteen years later, the Ottoman bombards saw action at Rome, where they smashed a hole in the Leonine Wall and, within two days, the city had been overrun by Janissaries and the star and crescent raised over the city, where it flies to this day. Alongside, the Ottomans, the gunpowder empires of Persia and India have survived and prospered and have even been joined by a new cast of well-armed non-European regional powers.
Why is Englundism exclusively in the arctic cirlce, instead of England?
 
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Just realizing I forgot to post this here.

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The point of divergence in this world is in 1529, when the Ottomans successfully won at Vienna. Thirteen years later, the Ottoman bombards saw action at Rome, where they smashed a hole in the Leonine Wall and, within two days, the city had been overrun by Janissaries and the star and crescent raised over the city, where it flies to this day. Alongside, the Ottomans, the gunpowder empires of Persia and India have survived and prospered and have even been joined by a new cast of well-armed non-European regional powers.
The lack of irregularity in the internal subdivisions is throwing me off
 
The world of an alternate and expanded New Netherlands: Part I
The First-Anglo Dutch War began over political disputes including owing support of Oranje-Nassau within the royal family and tradecompetition but the war happens as OTL. In the meantime, the self-governance was revoked, only to return years later in 1654.

On the other side, the Dutch had implemented policies in response to growing numbers of English settlers who could pose a threatto the colony's survival, to counter this, they would bring large numbers of French and German as well as Dutch, English, and Scandinavians as well as indentured laborers from West and Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, and China into the colony to deal with the possible threat of English expansionry. They are seeking to halt or thwart their expansion in attempting to conquer the colony to unite New England with the Southern one.

In the Second Anglo-Dutch War of 1665 to 1667 was caused by fighting for the control of trade routes as the English seeks toknock the Dutch out from the international trade where European commericial rivalry heated up. Dutch victories on their frontswhile teaming up with Denmark-Norway and France against both England and Scotland and Münster but the war ended with peace talks but although it readjust colonial borders with Dutch control of Connecticut River is recognized by the treaty. New Frisia, as you know it was named as a new province on the western side of the river which the colony's demographics is mixed of Dutch andEnglish settlers who had settled there. It was a good sign that a governor will allow the colony to hold on to it for a hundreds of years but nevertheless, look at the farther away into Europe.

In England, it was still embroiled by civil war among the Parliamentarians and Monarchists but the worse outcomes happened when Charles II, while preparing to embark on the ship in sailing across the Channel back to his home country in bringing to an end of the continued unrest but a tragedy suddenly strikes after days of delays under threat of Parliamentarians' naval ships sighting and trying to intimidate the naval caravan but unbeknownst to them, the convoy passed treacherous parts of the North Sea while escaping from possible attack as storm shows up later and then the ship had been brought down while bracing for tossing storm and Charles II and all of them were missing,nothing could be able to find him. Leaving his sibling, James III to ascend into throne after days of mourning, his role was like OTL. But William III was finally ascended into throne later and Mary II have survived smallpox which prevented miscarriages that William and Mary had. Dutch and British/English still remained aligned for the next century.

The New Amsterdam experienced its boom with growth in part because of immigration from Europe that led to birth of new universities that was built to serve as a counterweight to New England's Harvard but its significantly, a big boost for the Dutch. Its rise gave the city way as a dominant trade power that eclipses Boston due to its location but however, the expansion never realize soon enough until centuries later.

Centuries later, the French and Indian Wars in the Seven Years' War has taken place but the Dutch became involved with by honoringtheir alliance where thousands of Dutch troops are helping the British to repel French attacks and capture forts while courting their tribes into alliance. Like the OTL, the British had prevented the French from reinforcing the besieged cities which led to quick fall

In the end, the colony itself was under joint-occupation of Anglo-Dutch forces which splits up into two with the territories south of Mississauga Line is ceded to Dutch that led with the creation of its same name as a new colony where the portions of Southern Ontario has been occupied. The boundary has been expanded while the newly line that includes Ohio River has been carved out as Heuvelland (Hill Country) which was moderate-to-lightly populated by the Europeans at that time.
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