Most interesting XVIIIth Century PoD

What is, according to you, the most interesting eighteenth century PoD? By 'interesting', I mean that produces 'interesting' results, and I let you define what interesting results are...
I'm going to use a 'short eighteenth century' that begins with the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick and ends with the opening of the Estates-Generals of 1789.

Fire away...:)
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Something in the Seven Years War, I would think.

EDIT: Nah, that's been done. I would have Phillippe d'Orleans refuse John Law permission to take over the Mississippi Company. With a little luck, this minor POD could have France enjoy the good aspects of Law's fiscal and financial reforms while avoiding the disastrous Mississippi Bubble that crippled the French economy for a generation. France would then be a power-house which might easily defeat Britain in the later wars of global domination.
 
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Thande

Donor
Pretty much anything involving the Seven Years' War, American Revolutionary War, the aftermath formation of the USA as we know it, and the French Revolution has the potential to radically change our world beyond all recognition. 'Tis a ripe time for PODs.
 
Pretty much anything involving the Seven Years' War, American Revolutionary War, the aftermath formation of the USA as we know it, and the French Revolution has the potential to radically change our world beyond all recognition. 'Tis a ripe time for PODs.
I think we can all agree on that. But which one is the fairest of them all?;)
 

Vitruvius

Donor
Austria adheres to the Treaty of Vienna and enters the Anglo-Spanish War in support of Spain. Don Carlos goes on to marry Maria Theresa as planned and the House of Habsburg-Farnese-Bourbon or whatever its called essentially unites most of Italy under Austrian control. Probably the Austrians are crushed in the Netherlands and Germany though. But the Anglo-French and Austro-Spanish blocs persist for much longer than OTL, probably until the English and French fallout over how to divide the Netherlands or North America.
 
Austria adheres to the Treaty of Vienna and enters the Anglo-Spanish War in support of Spain. Don Carlos goes on to marry Maria Theresa as planned and the House of Habsburg-Farnese-Bourbon or whatever its called essentially unites most of Italy under Austrian control. Probably the Austrians are crushed in the Netherlands and Germany though. But the Anglo-French and Austro-Spanish blocs persist for much longer than OTL, probably until the English and French fallout over how to divide the Netherlands or North America.

This would be a pretty interesting POD, would have a lot of interesting knock off effects. Maria-Theresa marrying Don Carlos would simply result in the House of Habsburg-Bourbon, as he was of that house. His mother was a Farnese, yet he was a Bourbon; the other branches of that dynasty were distinguished by their territory, such as the Bourbons of Parma and the Bourbons of the Two Sicilies, who were branches of the Spanish Bourbons.

It'd be interesting to see an longer lasting Anglo-French entente, though. I tend to see it as sort of the "Unholy Alliance" of the 18th century because they have so many differences and are competing in so many areas that it will far apart sooner or later, possibly to their detriment, especially if Spain and Austria remain close buddies. This would also have great effects on the Spanish Succession, as our fair Don Carlos was eventually King of Spain... the Great Powers would probably force him to relinquish his rights as part of marrying Maria Theresa, given they'd probably expect him to rule in Austria in her right, even though in OTL she was quite the forceful personality.
 
Austria adheres to the Treaty of Vienna and enters the Anglo-Spanish War in support of Spain. Don Carlos goes on to marry Maria Theresa as planned and the House of Habsburg-Farnese-Bourbon or whatever its called essentially unites most of Italy under Austrian control. Probably the Austrians are crushed in the Netherlands and Germany though. But the Anglo-French and Austro-Spanish blocs persist for much longer than OTL, probably until the English and French fallout over how to divide the Netherlands or North America.
Mmmh. I like this a lot:)

But I'm surprised this does not elicit more replies. Come on, folks!
 
A slightly different policy from the Swedish government in the Great Northern War: Instead of conquering territories and then leaving them when the food is finished, they could have conquered every province permanently, making the Swedish King Elector of Saxony, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. No invasion of Russia, since holding and administering the newly acquired territories takes all the effort, so that will have to be solved diplomatically.

This way, Russia has to expand towards Turkey and Central Asia, not towards Central Europe.

Brandenburg-Prussia will not become as great in the near future, since Sweden borders it on three sides.
 
A slightly different policy from the Swedish government in the Great Northern War: Instead of conquering territories and then leaving them when the food is finished, they could have conquered every province permanently, making the Swedish King Elector of Saxony, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. No invasion of Russia, since holding and administering the newly acquired territories takes all the effort, so that will have to be solved diplomatically.

This way, Russia has to expand towards Turkey and Central Asia, not towards Central Europe.

Brandenburg-Prussia will not become as great in the near future, since Sweden borders it on three sides.

Sweden-Saxe-Poland-Lithuania couldn't possibly be a stable union: Russia would have no problems expanding against that unwieldy monster.

As far as the Great Northern War goes, the only two PoD's that would have the potential for lasting benefits to Sweden would be Peter the Great dying early in the war and leaving the throne to Alexei, or Sweden agreeing to let Russia keep St Petersburg when Peter the Great offered peace in 1708. Even a victory at Lesnaya or Poltava would likely only delay Sweden's defeat.
 
A marriage of Don Carlos to Maria Theresa would be a fascinating POD. If Emperor Charles VI had honored the 1725 Treaty of Vienna, then Don Carlos would have married Maria Theresa and Don Philip (Charles’s younger brother) would have married Maria Anna (Maria Theresa’s younger sister). To appease the great powers in TTL, Don Carlos could have waived his succession rights to Spain, Parma, Piacenza, and Tuscany in favor of Don Philip. In return for his sacrifice, Maria Theresa could have been given the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily upon her marriage to Don Carlos. How the more permanent alliance of Spain and Austria would have affected the rest of 18th century Europe’s history is tough to say. In the Anglo-Spanish War of 1727-1729, with the help of Austria, Spain may have been able to have a successful siege of Gibraltar. A defeat of the British in that war would have brought them in closer alliance with their Treaty of Hanover allies, France, Prussia, and the Netherlands. The war of Polish Succession in TTL would test the alliance of Great Britain and France as I doubt the British (or Dutch) would aid France against Spain/Austria in this scenario. France would have a difficult time beating both Spain and Austria at the same time and Augustus III would remain king of Poland. In a peace treaty, Lorraine would remain in the hands of Francis Stephan, and the aforementioned arrangement in Italy for Don Carlos and Don Philip would be confirmed by the great powers.

What would happen to Austria after the death of Charles VI in TTL would also be interesting. I suspect that with Spain in alliance with Austria, and Great Britain and the Netherlands neutral, France would not challenge Maria Theresa’s succession to her father’s hereditary domains. France would probably try to frustrate Don Carlos’s election to the imperial throne, but in the end would fail to stop him. The attitude of Frederick the Great in this TTL would be interesting. I doubt Frederick would have invaded Silesia in TTL, but if he had, he would have faced an Austria focused on him exclusively. The personal dynamics between Don Carlos and Maria Theresa in a marriage would be fascinating. In OTL, Maria Theresa actually loved Francis Stephen but in TTL, I don’t see romance between Carlos and Maria Theresa. I wonder how that would affect how well the two of them worked together.
 
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